Incumbent Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams (center) raises her hand in victory after narrowly winning the Democratic nomination for a second term late Tuesday night.
Harrisburg voted to retain its leadership in city hall on Tuesday, as incumbent Mayor Wanda Williams narrowly claimed the Democratic nomination.
With all precincts reporting in the municipal primary, Williams won 1,725 votes, compared to 1,642 for city treasurer Dan Miller, who came in second in the field of five.
Rounding out the field, City Council member Lamont Jones got 1,092 votes, community activist Tone Cook Jr. received 312 votes and repeat candidate Lewis Butts won 90 votes.
The race came down to the wire, with the final precincts giving Williams the edge.
At a victory party after the last results came in after 11 p.m., Williams described herself as “elated” by her victory.
“My excitement is for the residents of the city of Harrisburg,” she said. “I’m here to do another four years for them. They’ve given me a vote. They believe in me. They trust me, and I am so grateful for the fact that they put me back in.”
Williams is heavily favored to win re-election in the November general election, as no Republicans ran in the primary. It would be her second four-year term.
“They wanted me back in office, and I’m here and I promise to do everything I can to make this city better,” she said.
The race for Harrisburg City Council was hotly contested, with 13 candidates competing for four, four-year seats.
In the end, Democratic incumbents Ausha Green, Jocelyn Rawls and Ralph Rodriguez all prevailed, with challenger and former council member Robert Lawson taking the nomination for the open seat.
The Democratic challengers who came up short include Leslie Franklin, Lisa Glenn, Sharon Horne, Elyse Irvis, Willie Ross, Rich Sanders, Lori Saulisbury, Karl Singleton and Basir Vincent. Singleton died in March, but his name remained on the ballot.
No Republicans ran in the council race.
The primary race for school board was not contested.
Democratic incumbents Roslyn Copeland, Danielle Robinson, Brian Carter and Jaime Johnsen all won nomination for four, four-year seats, while Annie Hughes was nominated for the lone two-year seat. No Republicans filed to run, meaning the incumbents are likely to win new terms in November.
For city controller, Karen Balaban was uncontested for the Democratic nomination. No Republicans competed for the seat.
Dauphin County also has elections for several row offices this year.
For prothonotary, incumbent Matt Krupp of Harrisburg ran uncontested in the Republican primary, as did Harrisburg resident Antonio Carreno in the Democratic primary. They’ll compete in the general election.
The clerk of courts primary was competitive, with Tina Nixon defeating Timothy Pianka, both of Harrisburg, for the Democratic nomination. John McDonald won the Republican nomination running uncontested.
For county coroner, long-time incumbent Graham Hetrick took the Republican nomination running uncontested, as did John Harris Jr. for the Democratic nomination.
The primary results are considered preliminary until certified by the Dauphin County Bureau of Elections. The general election is slated for Nov. 4.
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