As Foy entered the West Rosemary Street bar and restaurant, supporters greeted him with cheering, applause and a long round of "hip-hip hooray." The candidate addressed the crowd, saying, "Thank you all for being here. Now go back to partying for a while."
Foy defeated Chapel Hill Town Council member Lee Pavao in a race that ended with Foy winning 57 percent of the vote and Pavao 39 percent, according to unofficial returns.
Cam Hill, who dropped out of the race Oct. 30 and later endorsed Foy, garnered 1 percent of the vote.
Foy said he considers the defining moment of his campaign to be an Oct. 26 forum sponsored by the Orange-Chatham Sierra Club. The organization later endorsed Foy's candidacy.
All three candidates highlighted the importance of managing growth in an expanding Chapel Hill. Hill, who attended Foy's victory celebration, said he is optimistic about the way in which Foy will regulate development. "I think (Foy) will be a good voice for the regulated growth -- if not no-growth -- voters," he said.
In an atmosphere of excitement and celebration, Foy's volunteer coordinator, Michelle Lewis, spoke about the mayor-elect with confidence. "When you have a great product to sell, it's easy to get people behind a good candidate," Lewis said.
While Foy celebrated to the tune of Kool and the Gang's "Celebrate," the mood was more subdued among Pavao's supporters.
Pavao and his supporters gathered around the computer at Pavao's campaign manager's home, watching the screen intently as the poll results were tabulated.
Pavao attributed his defeat to negative campaigning by Foy. But he said he was satisfied with his own campaign.
"I don't think I would have changed the tenor of of my campaign." Pavao said. "I think there were things brought up that had no bearing on Chapel Hill or what the campaign was about."
Pavao said he will not be involved in town government for a while but that he intends to stay involved in the community. "Chapel Hill is my town," Pavao said. "I'm going to continue to be involved in the organizations I have been involved with. I just won't be in town government for a while."
Pavao said he is uncertain as to whether he will run for a town government position again in the future. "I'll keep an eye on how the town is doing, how the mayor is doing," he said. "I will make that decision when I get there."
Now that several months of campaigning have drawn to a close, Foy said his first goal as mayor will be to organize the council.
"It is going to require a lot of effort," he said. "There's three new faces there."
Senior Writer Matt Viser contributed to this article.
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