3 incumbents re-elected; Dreffer, Wessner to join the board

Updated 11 p.m. Davidson voters on Tuesday re-elected 3 incumbents (Laurie Venzon, Brian Jenest and Margo Williams) and added 2 newcomers to the Town Board – Tim Dreffer and Connie Wessner.

Mayor John Woods also was elected to a second term. He ran unopposed. After the results came in Tuesday night, Mayor Woods said: “Davidson has a great new team of town commissioners, including three incumbents who offer great experience and tenure and two very promising newly elected commissioners in Tim Dreffer and Connie Wessner. I’m excited with these results and look forward to working with this new team.”

Incumbent Laurie Venzon was the top vote getter, with 1,004 votes. Incumbent Brian Jenest was second, with 961, followed by Mayor Pro-Tem Margo Williams (941). Tim Dreffer was fourth with 854 votes, followed by Connie Wessner in fifth with 844.

Three other candidates fell short of election: Drew Crawford (655); Mickey Pettus (391); and Nick Gibietis (310). (Totals exclude curbside/provisional ballots. For detailed results see chart.)

Members of the 2009-11 Davidson Town Board, from left: Tim Dreffer, Mayor John Woods, Laurie Venzon, Margo Williams, Connie Wessner, and Brian Jenest. (Sarah Jenest photo)

Turnout appeared to be around 20 percent in Davidson.

The unofficial results include early and absentee votes and Tuesday’s votes at the Davidson Town Hall and Hopewell Church precincts, as well as a handful of votes from the Mount Mourne firehouse in Iredell County, which serves the Lake Davidson Pointe neighborhood north of the county line. They do not include provisional and curbside votes.

Ms. Venzon, who will be serving her second term, thanked voters Tuesday night, saying, “I really appreciate all the support and help I got throughout the campaign. I’m honored to be able to serve again.” She said the town’s major focus over the next two years is likely to be “on making sure we get a fire station” on the east side of town. She also said the town will have to continue to weather the economic downturn.

Mr. Jenest, the No. 2 vote-getter and also heading into his second term, said he hopes the board can focus on economic development and “our train” – the North Commuter Rail Line. As chair of the Lake Norman Transportation Commission, Mr. Jenest has already been working on the issue.

Brian Jenest and Laurie Venzon examine results on a computer screen at Town Hall Tuesday night. Both were re-elected to the Town Board. (David Boraks photo)