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GREENSBORO - All incumbents won again in the Guilford County Board of Commissioners races, meaning Democrats will keep control of the county's top legislative body for at least two more years.

In complete but unofficial returns, Paul Gibson and John Parks won at-large seats, while Kirk Perkins kept his District 4 seat with 63 percent of the vote. The next election for commissioners is in 2010.

Gibson took first among his field with 32 percent of the vote, and Parks finished second with 29 percent in unofficial results for the two seats.

At-large losers included Republicans Larry Proctor with 19 percent of the votes and Wendell Sawyer, who took 17 percent of countywide ballots. Libertarian Paul Elledge won 3 percent of votes.

"We've still got to build a jail and a southeast health clinic," said Gibson, "and that's especially tough in this economy, and I saw the quarter-cent sales tax lost."

An ongoing $115 million jail is a top project for commissioners, with a ground breaking expected to replace the old Guilford County jail sometime next year. And the county this year funded a health clinic for the underserved medical needs of the county where cancer and heart disease rates are high.

On the sales tax, Gibson referred to voters' decision against a quarter-cent sales tax for the second time this year, which will put pressure on the county to raise the property tax rate.

The winning Democrats credited some of their votes to straight-ticket drives by their party.

"It's the coattail effect of Barack Obama," said Democrat Melvin "Skip" Alston, who ran unopposed for his District 8 seat. He and the other Democratic winners gathered at a party honoring U.S. Senator-elect Kay Hagan Tuesday night as returns rolled in at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Perkins was there celebrating his victory with a cold beer in hand.

"I want to expand on parks projects and jobs for District 4," he said. Like Gibson and Parks, he also mentioned the momentum that he believes the Democrat-led board currently has.

Parks said that his leadership style on the board includes consensus-building and avoiding disputes that can sometimes tip the lively board toward fiery arguments in public.

"We've got to collaborate with one another and talk about being effective in government," Parks said, pointing to plans to work with efficiency studies that the county has under way.

The Souther-Perkins battle was the second go 'round for the pair, who both campaigned in 2004 for the seat as first-time candidates.

"I think it was a vote of confidence," Perkins said.

Souther and Proctor were unavailable Tuesday night.

Elledge said he may be back running again in 2009, or for county commissioner, speaking to his party's appearance on North Carolina ballots this year.

"If (gubernatorial candidate Mike) Munger can get the two percent," Elledge said of the votes needed to keep his party on the ballot, "that will be a really big boon for the Libertarians. We have one of the most active and largest state affiliates in the nation."

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com