Pictured: Patty Warden (standing) defends her right to run for council in the Town of Miami. Sitting councilmembers are questioning Warden’s residency after she received enough votes to be seated after the General Election this November. Photo by Carol Broeder

The Miami Town Council voted unanimously to canvass the recent primary election vote during its regular meeting Monday, Sept. 10, but balked at the decision when questions arose about the residency of fourth-place vote-getter Patty Warden.

Toward the beginning of the meeting, Council moved the agenda item from first place to last under the “new business” section, putting it right before the “call to the council” portion of the meeting.

Miami had four of its seven non-partisan council seats in play during the Aug. 28 primary election.

Incumbents Susan Hanson and Rosemary Castaneda chose not to run for re-election, while Mayor Darryl Dalley and Councilmember Angel Medina received sufficient support to return, Dalley garnering 173 or 18.91 percent of the vote and Medina with 170 or 18.58 percent.

Dalley and Medina were sandwiched between newcomers Patty Warden and Dan Moat.

Moat received the largest number of votes with 200, or 21.86 percent and Warden 153, or 16.72 percent.

Candidates Randal Prosser, 97, 10.6 percent, and Don Reiman, 120, 13 percent, did not qualify.

When it came time to canvass the vote, a lengthy discussion ensued, with council members appearing reluctant to canvass.

Hanson said that Warden is not a resident and there is currently an investigation into her residency status.

Warden spoke during the meeting, saying, “I do live in this area. I believe in full transparency.” She went on to explain that her father is ill, and she cares for him herself, not wanting to put him into a nursing home.

Castaneda said that, living in the area where Warden claims to reside herself, she knows that Warden does not live there.

Warden reiterated that she “lives out of a suitcase,” in caring for her father.

Castaneda called upon the council to change the current residency rules, giving examples of those who had grown up in Miami, still owned property there, and would have run for but wanted to “follow the rules.”

“Change your ordinance,” Castaneda said.

Town Attorney Sue Goodwin pointed out that residency requirements, such as living within town limits for one year prior to running for council, “are governed by State law, so you cannot change that.”

“This is a very unusual situation. I have been doing this for 40 years, and this is a first for me,” she told the Council.

Goodwin said she had spoken that day with the County Attorney, who is investigating the complaint but had not yet completed the investigation.

She explained that all the canvass does is “merely state that the election office counted the votes correctly,” and that, to be in compliance, it must be done within 20 days after the election.

“The count does not determine residency and qualifications,” said Goodwin, adding that all qualified candidates would be sworn in after November’s General Election.

In the event that a duly elected candidate was found to not be a resident, they would not be sworn in, she said.

Hanson did not run for re-election, choosing instead to step away to take care of her aging mother who had a stroke and recently broke her hip. She will be spending more time in the Valley, although still plans to be active in Miami’s urban renewal efforts, including Miami Genesis and Habitat for Humanity.

For her part, Castenada said she made the decision after a “great deal of thought and soul-searching.”

In a letter to the Silver Belt, Castenada had expressed her love for the town and the recent accomplishments of the municipality.

“This is a hard decision for me and comes with regrets as it comes at a time when Miami is finishing the sewer project and road repairs loom,” she wrote. “These are huge, expensive and critical projects for the future of the Town.”

Like Hanson, Castenada plans to continue her efforts to create a more beautiful and economically sustainable community.