MORRISVILLE - The winners in at least two of Morrisville's municipal races stand as a beacon of hope for their ideological counterparts in Cary.

Unlike proponents of slower growth policies in their neighboring community, Jackie Holcombe and Stephen Diehl succeeded in convincing voters to install fresh faces on the Town Council on Tuesday.

Holcombe defeated incumbent Mayor Jan Faulkner by capturing nearly 62 percent of the vote. Faulkner got 38 percent.

In the District 2 race, Diehl unseated Mark Stohlman to claim that seat. Diehl won 55 percent of votes; Stohlman earned 45 percent.

The election could usher in the kind of change here that some Cary voters had hoped to see in that town's District A.

But the newly elected mayor and councilman say the outcome of this election speaks more to broader concerns expressed by their constituents on the campaign trail.

Both candidates succeeded on at least one front. Their arrival on the council next month will represent a political shift.

Although municipal elections in Morrisville are officially nonpartisan, victories for Holcombe, Diehl and Margaret Broadwell in District 4 put the town's affairs firmly in the hands of Democrats.

Broadwell defeated challenger Creighton Blackwell, also a Democrat. She received about 65 percent of the vote. Blackwell won 34 percent.

The newly elected trio will join incumbent Democrats Linda Lyons of District 1 and Pete Martin, one of two at-large council members, to solidify a 5-2 majority.

Incumbent Tom Murry, a Republican, retained his at-large seat against challengers Michael Roberts and Lydia Martin. Murry and incumbent councilwoman Liz Johnson, unaffiliated, will become the minority voices in Morrisville's government.

Stohlman said that his ouster had less to do with the growth debate that has captivated voters across southwestern Wake County.

"In our race, I think it maybe wasn't a call to action on growth as much as it maybe was a call to action on some other fronts," he said.

Both Diehl and Holcombe agreed, to a point. The candidates had cited "balanced" or "sustainable growth" among the issues of greatest importance to them.

"We need the kind of growth that is sustainable not only from an environmental perspective, but also financially," Holcombe said. "It's got to be the kind of growth that doesn't burden our current tax base beyond what it can handle."

Holcombe said Morrisville must do a better job of approving developments that lift the burden of infrastructure improvements off taxpayers' shoulders.

She and Diehl said minimizing tax increases should be a priority of the next Town Council.

The candidates worked together last year with other members of Morrisville Action, a political action committee, to revolt against a proposed 19 percent tax increase.

"When large developments began getting approval a few years ago, we began to see dissatisfaction on a larger scale in town in regards to the way the town was going," he said. "... Everything came to a head with the proposed 19 percent tax increase, which in a down economy absolutely sends the wrong message."