Loris mayor’s race appears headed for runoff

Loris voters will pick their new mayor on Dec. 15, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s general election.

Michael Suggs and Henry Nichols expect to face each other in a runoff for the mayor’s seat.

On Tuesday, Suggs (186 votes) and Nichols (175 votes) finished first and second respectively, with George Protz (105 votes) coming in third, said Peggy Keefer, chairwoman of the Loris Municipal Election Commission. Neither of the top two candidates received the majority of the votes needed to win the seat outright.

The winner will replace David Stoudenmire, who is stepping down after serving as the city’s mayor for 24 years.

In the race for three city council seats, Jerry Hardee (255 votes), Joan Gause (245 votes) and Michael Dozier (209 votes) emerged from the six-candidate field to win without the need for a runoff, Keefer said. Finishing fourth was Jan Vescovi (193 votes), followed by Thessalonia Graham (182 votes) and Kimberly Rudelitch (122 votes).

The commission plans to certify the election results at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Loris City Hall.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Loris mayor’s race appears headed for runoff."