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GREENSBORO — Voters brought back some establishment candidates and elected some outsiders to the City Council on Tuesday, sending a mixed message about how they think City Hall is being managed.

Some winners — at-large incumbent Sandra Anderson Groat and former Councilman Robbie Perkins — support the status quo, including beleaguered City Manager Mitchell Johnson. Others, including former Guilford County Commissioners Mary Rakestraw and Trudy Wade, ran on a throw-the-bums-out platform.

Debatables: How do you like the new council?

One thing the winners share: Well-known names.

Other than that, it's hard to glean anything more specific, since voters approved such a wide variety of philosophies.

Based on complete but unofficial results Tuesday night, Groat, Perkins and Rakestraw finished one-two-three in the at-large race.

Wade defeated incumbent Sandy Carmany, who had represented District 5 since 1991.

Other winners included incumbents Mike Barber, T. Dianne Bellamy-Small and Goldie Wells. Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson was elected the city's first black mayor. All four supported Mitchell Johnson's handling of David Wray's controversial departure from the police chief's office.

Newcomer Zack Matheny, another candidate with backing from Greensboro's traditional leadership, also was elected.

Of the nine council members elected Tuesday, only Rakestraw and Wade gave Mitchell Johnson theoretical votes of no-confidence for his handling of Wray's departure.

Wray resigned in 2006 after allegations that the department's special intelligence unit targeted black officers for unfair internal investigation. That, coupled with accusations of mismanagement, prompted Mitchell Johnson to ask the city's legal office and a private consulting firm to ferret out what, if anything, ailed the department under Wray.

Wray's supporters say Mitchell Johnson kowtowed to black leaders and overreacted in disciplining Wray.

Rakestraw, 59, said Tuesday her supporters are counting on her for answers about what went wrong.

"People have said they want change," she said. "And I think they are expecting change from us. We can't embarrass anybody in the city, but somehow we have got to find out what has happened, what has broken down."

Rakestraw said people are tired of all the negativity. They want this police issue behind them, "but not swept under the rug," she said.

Wade said Tuesday her win also reflected voters' anger with the city's handling of big issues such as crime and the operation of the police department.

"I think trust in government and openness in government were the big issues," she said.

Despite issuing stinging attacks on Carmany during the campaign, Wade said the dissatisfaction wasn't necessarily aimed at any one council member.

"I think they were frustrated with (the) council," she said.

Apart from general frustration among voters, Wade cited concerns about crime and having too few officers on the street, as well as concerns raised about the city's water supply during the drought.

She said she planned to sit down with the city's new mayor and council members to work out approaches to the issues.

Groat, 62, was the only incumbent running in the at-large race. As the top vote-getter, she'll likely serve another term as mayor pro tem, leading the board if newly elected Mayor Yvonne Johnson is ever absent.

Council members elect the mayor pro tem and historically pick the top at-large winner.

Just moments after her teenage son Nicholas handed her red roses, Groat said she planned to be more outspoken during her second term.

"I think I will be more assertive, more outspoken, more confident," said Groat, a home builder.

Perkins, 52, is returning to the council after a two-year break. He represented District 3 from 1993 to 2005.

Finishing out the at-large candidates were Marikay Abuzuaiter, Bill Knight and Kevin Green, respectively. All were first-time candidates who ran vigorous campaigns, gathering a respectable number of votes in a field crowded with better-known names Groat, Perkins and Rakestraw.

During the campaign, Rakestraw said she is particularly interested in curbing crime and making residents feel safer.

She wants people to have a closer relationship with police officers, whether that comes from community policing or one-on-one talks on neighborhood streets.

As a commissioner, she worked closely with Barber and Wade, and said Tuesday night she hopes they can band together to bring changes to City Hall.

Wade, a veterinarian, previously served as a Guilford County commissioner, a stint that ended with her unsuccessful 18-month legal challenge to keep her seat after losing to Democrat John Parks in 2004.

She said the city needs to do more to assist small business and touts the business experience she brings to the council.

She also has called for an independent investigation of the police department.

Staff writer Jason Hardin contributed to this report.

Contact Margaret Moffett Banks at 373-7031 or mbanks@news-record.com