BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — Amy Burkert is set to become the next mayor of Bisbee, according to unofficial results from Tuesday's election.
As of Friday afternoon, Burkert has 56% of the votes. Four newly elected council members will join her.
Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge has been in office since 2020. He decided not to seek re-election this year. He says hes planning to spend more time with family that lives out of state when his term is up at the end of November.
"It's been a great honor and has been a big part of my life since I moved here, and I'm ever so grateful that I was able to help my community," Budge said.
He says some of the highlights of being mayor have been seeing the new city hall be built, seeing the cleanup efforts of 30 Main Street start soon, and seeing the city become financially sound.
Burkert said she sees the election results as an opportunity to reshape how city government operates.
"This is where I thought my skills could be helpful to the team," Burkert said.
"We're making a shift in the way our city government works, and I'm hopeful, and I'm excited for it," Burkert said.
Burkert said she wants the community to be more involved in local government and hopes to create roundtables and opportunities for residents to provide input.
"I want to hear those different perspectives. I want to understand things from a 360-degree view, and then make the decisions based on what I've learned from the community. I think that that's vital," Burkert said.
She said she plans to use the next 19 weeks to learn more about how the city operates. The mayor and council members will be sworn in at the first meeting in December.
Budge said he is focused on ensuring a smooth handoff.
"The rest of it is just try to make sure the transition goes well, and that we continue down the path that we've been successful here in business," Budge said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
