Voters return dead city councilman to office

Associated Press Mar. 15, 2006 09:20 AM

SIERRA VISTA - Voters in Bisbee refused to recall a city councilman Tuesday, even though he died nine days before the election.

Incumbent Bob Kasun easily defeated Jeff Harris by a margin of 246 to 83. The 79-year-old four-term councilman died March 6 of lymphoma and renal failure. His funeral was Monday.

Bisbee voters also rejected a recall targeting Councilwoman Luche Giacomino, voting 257 to 70 to keep her in office.

A group calling itself the Warren Citizens for Recall had accused Kasun and Giacomino of violating the city charter, fiscal irresponsibility and failing to represent and be accountable to constituents.

Giacomino said she had been confident she would survive the recall attempt, but was especially pleased that Kasun was not voted from office.

"I am just tickled to death that Bob won," she said.

Kasun was a Bisbee native and football star at Bisbee High School. He had a scholarship to attend Notre Dame, but was drafted after graduating from high school in 1945 and served as an Army medic. After being discharged, he returned to Bisbee and went back to work for Phelps Dodge, where he had started as a stock clerk in the company store at age 15.

He retired as an electrician in 1975, and later worked more than a decade as Bisbee's building inspector.