Lily Stefano cruises to victory in special election for open council seat in Medley
Lily Stefano, a two-time candidate for mayor and former councilwoman in the tiny town of Medley, will return to the town council after defeating two opponents in a special election Tuesday.
Stefano received 55% of the town’s 465 total votes, according to final results posted by the Miami-Dade elections department around 7:30 p.m. Karina Pacheco finished second with 34% of votes, while Griselia Digiacomo was third with 11%.
Turnout in the industrial town of just over 700 registered voters was 64%.
The special election was triggered by the December resignation of Councilwoman Yesenia Martinez, who gave up her seat without public explanation about a month after her November victory.
Stefano, 56, had resigned her council position last year to run unsuccessfully against Mayor Roberto Martell. She has twice challenged Martell for mayor, serving a term on the town council in between.
She is also executive director of the Santana Moss Foundation, named for the Miami-born former NFL star who started the charity. The nonprofit is based in Medley and runs a weekly grocery program for residents.
“Without being a council member, I have provided assistance to residents on a constant basis,” Stefano told the Miami Herald last week.
She said the town needs to balance infrastructure needs, its commercial sector, and the needs of about 1,100 residents.
“You need to find a happy medium between all three to make everything work,” she said.
Had Pacheco prevailed, she would have joined her husband, Vice Mayor Ivan Pacheco, on the council. They would have been the first spouses to serve together on a municipal council in Florida. A father and daughter, Edgar and Lizelh Ayala, already serve on the Medley council.
