Catherine Fray, Jason Merrill and Eliazar Posada have won the three open seats on the Carrboro Town Council, according to unofficial results.
Fray earned 27.14 percent, Posada earned 26.83 percent and Merrill earned 25.92 percent of votes cast. The three earned a combined 79.89 percent of the vote across Carrboro. With all precincts reporting, 10,510 votes were cast for the three candidates in Carrboro.
The two runners-up, April Mills and Stephanie Wade, gained 9.36 percent and 10.40 percent of the vote, respectively.
Fray, Posada and Merrill ran on a slate — called Carrboro Better Together. Posada is an incumbent on the council and was elected in a 2022 special election to fill the seat vacated by Damon Seils when he was elected mayor of Carrboro in November 2021. This will be Posada's first full elected term. He is the first openly gay Latino person in elected office in North Carolina.
The other open seats were held by mayor-elect Barbara Foushee and mayor pro tem Susan Romaine. Seils and Romaine endorsed the slate of the three now-elected candidates.
All three candidates are in favor of the new Creekside Alignment option for the Bolin Creek Greenway and have centered their campaigns around transportation equity, affordable housing and climate solutions.
Posada said the slate wants to make sure the Carrboro builds affordable housing, has equitable transportation, protects the environment and promotes inclusivity.
"We will have an action-driven council that will make sure that we're pushing Carrboro forward," he said.
Merrill's platform centers on expanding the existing Carrboro Connects plan, building more affordable housing and promoting racial equity. He owns Back Alley Bikes in Carrboro. His platform also includes increased walking and biking accessibility in town.
