Early election results in the Oro Valley town council race show that all three challengers are currently in the lead.
Six candidates vied for three council positions, as incumbentsย Bill Garner, Mike Zinkin and Brendan Burns defended their seats against challengers Rhonda Pina, Steve Solomon and Bill Rodman.
Campaign finance records from Jan. 1 through August 18 show the challengers raised more than $75,000 to the incumbents' $9,500, and outspent them by nearly 10 times. Donations to the challengers came from HSL, Don Diamond, Venture West, SAHBA, and Jim Click.
The town's controversial purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club from HSL nearly two years ago remained a contested issue during the election, with the challengers and incumbents disagreeing on how to handle the growing financial losses.
The challengers, who were running on a slate, adopted a wait-and-see approach, saying that the town should stick to the initial five-year plan before taking action.
Citing more than $2 million in losses on golf course and community center, the challengers argued that immediate action needs to be taken before the town's general fund becomes depleted from covering the losses.
The winners will join Mayor Satish Hiremath and council members Mary Snider, Lou Waters and Joe Hornat.
