The two incumbent candidates from Sahuarita had small leads Tuesday night in the very tight race for three open Town Council seats, early election results show.
Mayor Tom Murphy was in the lead, at roughly 22 percent, while challenger Dalia Zimmerman was in second with a little more than 18 percent. Incumbent Councilwoman Kara Egbert was in third place, also with about 18 percent of the votes.
Challenger Lora Nastase was a close fourth, with slightly less than 18 percent, according to early results.
Ryan Huber and Mitchell Miramontes were separated from the pack by a larger margin, with roughly 13 percent and 9 percent of the votes, respectively.
Sahuarita operates under the council-manager form of government and the council will convene after the election to choose a new mayor.
Egbert has served on the council for nine years and Murphy for five.
The third seat being filled in the election belonged to Councilman Duane Blumberg, who did not seek another term.
Both incumbents listed growth and economic development as the biggest issues facing the town, while Zimmerman talked about the town’s safety being an essential part of a strong community and a way to entice new businesses to come to Sahuarita.
