Voters in Fairfax City and towns in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties headed to the polls Tuesday to vote in more than a dozen contested races for mayor, town council and other local offices.

Across fast-growing Northern Virginia, the nonpartisan contests focused primarily on issues of immediate community concern, such as traffic, development, taxes and the local economy.

In Herndon, where Mayor Lisa Merkel was challenged by Connie Haines Hutchinson, voters reelected Merkel by a slim margin of 224 votes out of more than 2,300 cast, according to unofficial results Tuesday evening.

Merkel campaigned on the promise of “maintaining our quality of life” by planning walkable, mass-transit-oriented communities. Her goals included a proposed multi-use high-rise development near the planned Silver Line station in the town.

In Purcellville, Vice Mayor J. Keith Melton Jr. was defeated by newcomer Kwasi A. Fraser in the race to fill the seat held by Mayor Bob Lazaro. Lazaro, who has served as mayor for eight years, announced his retirement in March.

Fraser, a businessman who campaigned on promises to lower taxes, improve government transparency, and preserve the town’s history and charm, had said that his opponent would offer residents “more of the same under the guise of ‘common-sense solutions.’ ” He won with 868 votes to Melton’s 539, according to the unofficial tally.

In Fairfax City, first-term Mayor R. Scott Silverthorne easily survived a challenge from insurance broker John D. Norce. Silverthorne, who focused his campaign on plans to attract new restaurants and stores to the city’s downtown area, won 74 percent of the vote in the unofficial tally.

In Prince William County, mayors also beat challengers in three of the county’s four towns.

In Dumfries, which with a population of about 5,000 is the largest of the Prince William towns, Gerald Foreman II, the mayor, and Willie Toney, challenger and vice mayor, both stood outside the town hall as voters trickled in.

They handed out campaign literature, but they said that it had little purpose at that point.

“The ones that show up know there’s a vote, and they know who they want,” said Foreman, who won by 227 to 140, despite declaring himself out of the race and then in it again in the month before the election.

When Toney, surrounded by volunteers wearing Toney for Mayor T-shirts, saw Addie Martin approaching, he called out, “So you made it! I don’t have to come get you.”

The winners of all the contested races follow, according to unofficial results available by Tuesday at 11:20 p.m. An asterisk denotes an incumbent.

The Virginia Board of Elections posts up-to-date results at http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsCountyList.aspx.

Fairfax City

Mayor

R. Scott Silverthorne*

City council (six members)

Michael J. DeMarco*

Jeffrey C. Greenfield*

Nancy Fry Loftus

David L. Meyer*

Janice B. Miller

Eleanor D. “Ellie” Schmidt*

Fairfax County

Clifton

Town Council

Deborah Dillard*

Jennifer Heilmann

Eric Guenther Hencken

Wayne H. Nickum*

Dwayne R. Nitz*

Herndon

Mayor

Lisa C. Merkel*

Town Council

Jennifer K. Baker

David A. “Dave” Kirby*

Steven Lee Mitchell

Sheila A. Olem*

Jasbinder Singh

Grace Han Wolf*

Vienna

Town Council

Linda Jane Colbert

Edythe Frankel Kelleher*

Pasha M. Majdi

Loudoun County

Purcellville

Mayor

Kwasi A. Fraser

Town Council

Karen H. Jimmerson

Doug J. McCollum

Benjamin J. Packard

Lovettsville

Town Council

Kimberly C. Allar*

Tiffaney Dawn Carder*

Jennifer E. Jones

Prince William County

Dumfries

Mayor

Gerald M. Foreman II*

Haymarket

Mayor

David M. Leake*

Town council

Steven C. Aitken

Matthew E. Caudle

Chris S. Morris

Joseph R. Pasanello

Pam L. Swinford

Kurtis W. Woods

Occoquan

Town council

Tyler C. Brown

J. Matthew Dawson

James A. Drakes

Joseph E. McGuire, Jr.*

Patrick A. Sivigny*

Quantico

Mayor

Kevin P. Brown*

Town council

Lucian G. “Alex” Alexander

Peggy L. Alexander*

Earlene J. Clinton*

Tom E. Davis

Russell V. “Rusty” Kuhns*