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Bill Saffo doesn't need notes to rattle off the costs and scheduled completion dates of Wilmington's sewer projects. Especially the completion dates.
Saffo has been a councilman and mayor during a time when Wilmington has faced scrutiny for an aging and leaky sewer system. He said he never imagined his No. 1 issue would be sewer problems. He joked that he now has a master's degree in wastewater engineering because of them.
That's not the only challenge Saffo has faced since being elected to the council in 2003 and appointed mayor in 2006 when Spence Broadhurst resigned. He's still trying to build a controversial convention center project that hasn't gotten off the ground. Firefighters have demanded raises. And personally, he has faced criticism that he's in developers' pockets and that his $158,000 election fund has bought favors for a select few.
Saffo said he takes his job as mayor very seriously and considers every facet of the community when making decisions. He considers himself a "consensus builder" who works to bring groups together to get things done for the Port City.
The...