DiCiccio re-elected as District 6 councilman, according to unofficial results

Incumbent Sal DiCiccio was re-elected as the city of Phoenix District 6 councilman, according to the unofficial results of the Nov. 3 run-off election between DiCiccio and Dana Marie Kennedy.

“We feel fantastic,” DiCiccio said. “We feel it was a mandate on the direction for the city of Phoenix. It was a focus on the economy, on job creation in the private sector and getting government to cut back on red tape and regulating small businesses.”

As of 9:05 p.m. on Tuesday, the vote count was around 56 percent with 14,855 votes for DiCiccio and 44 percent with 11,737 votes for Kennedy, according to the city of Phoenix Web site.

Kennedy said she remained optimistic as the numbers were coming in and said the results were going to be very close.

“I gave people a choice in electing somebody who is honest and had integrity and had good character and involved the community in the process,” Kennedy said.

DiCiccio said he spoke with Kennedy Wednesday morning and said that the city needs her help.

“I said, ‘Look, we could sure use your help. We need your help. We need everybody’s help right now,’” he said.

Voters at the polls who voted for DiCiccio said that Kennedy did not have the same connections with the area since she has not lived in Ahwatukee Foothills as long as DiCiccio.

Gordon Miner has served on the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee and said DiCiccio is accommodating and has successfully served on the council before.

“I know that any problems that come up he’s going to take care of them, and this other gal - I don’t think she belongs in this community,” Miner said. “She just is a carpetbagger.”

Raymond Stewart agreed that DiCiccio has strong connections with Ahwatukee and said he has done some great things for the community, like his ideas on how not to put a highway through South Mountain.

“I just feel that he has our interests at heart for the community more than the opponent,” Stewart said.

Michael Harris voted for Kennedy and said the conservative policies of the existing government are failing.

“Certainly I think if you take an objective look at the state’s finances and the city’s finances and the crisis that we’re in, we need, I think, a more open-minded view of revenues and expenses and of what services we need,” Harris said.

The unofficial results do not include early ballots received on Election Day or provisional ballots cast at the polls, however, they are scheduled to be included in the official results on Friday, according to the City Clerk’s Office.

Voter turnout for this election was approximately 26 percent of the nearly 102,500 registered voters, with all 21 precincts accounted for, the Web site said.

“It’s been nine months of a tough campaign and it was nice to wake up this morning and not have to worry about the campaign,” DiCiccio said. “Now we can go back to what it takes to get the city running again.”