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By Jennifer R. Carnes
Superior Sun
Unofficial election results from last week’s recall election for the seat of Superior Town Council member Soyla “Kiki” Peralta have been tallied and Mila Besich Lira has been declared the winner.
Besich Lira received 438 votes of the 681 votes cast by Superior voters or 64.32 percent. Peralta received 238 votes or 34.95 percent. There were five votes deemed “write-in.”
Voter turnout was higher than the previous two elections held in Superior. Voter turnout in the Aug. 27, 2013 election, 47.56 percent of Superior’s 1,436 registered voters cast ballots. By comparison, voter turnout at the May 11, 2013 election on the Town of Superior’s Home Rule Option was 27.64 percent with 397 voters casting ballots. In the March 12, 2013 election where voters were asked to elect the mayor and three council members, the voter turnout was between 28.34 percent and 30.08 percent, based on the two highest vote getters (407 votes were cast in the mayoral race and Councilman Michael Alonzo garnered 432 votes in the election).
When asked by the Superior Sun to comment on the higher than average voter turnout for this election, Besich Lira stated, “I am overwhelmed by the outcome of this election. The high voter turnout signifies that residents of Superior want a future for our community. They do not want the same routine. Their votes communicated that they want something different. They want jobs, economic diversity and they want to thrive.”
Besich Lira sees that there will be much to do with the Superior Town Council in the coming weeks and months.
“While the biggest challenge is repairing our finances,” she said, “we must work to rebuild trust between the council, residents and community partners.”
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