San Luis City appointed city Council Member Gloria Torres as the city’s new vice mayor on December 14, 2023, representing her first promotion since her conviction for a misdemeanor ballot harvesting scheme in June of last year. Her colleague and longtime critic, Council Member Gary Garcia Snyder, told The Arizona Sun Times his constituents “are at a loss” following Torres’ appointment.
Torres (pictured above) pleaded guilty to her role in a ballot harvesting scheme after she was indicted following the release of camera footage obtained by Garcia Snyder and David Lara, a San Luis Republican who was elected to a school board seat in 2016, as the result of a “sting” operation.
After pleading guilty to one count of ballot abuse, a misdemeanor in Arizona, KYMA explained Torres was sentenced to two years of supervised probation, to pay a fine of $2,500, and is prohibited from seeking or being “appointed to public office again.” Torres was allowed to serve the remainder of her term, which expires in December 2024.
Appointments to vice mayor are made by the city council, meaning it is not an elected position and lasts four years. The city’s press release does not mention Torres’ conviction or sentence, but reveals she is “thrilled to be appointed Vice Mayor.” Torres has been consistently re-elected to the San Luis City Council since 2000.
“I am both outraged and disappointed that a convicted ballot abuser has been elevated to this leadership position,” Garcia Snyder said in a statement provided to The Sun Times.Â
He added, “The fact that a majority of the Council appears to have so little regard for our laws is an insult to residents, particularly in the Latino community. We are tired of this type of corruption and the Democrats so blatantly parading it in our faces.”
Currently running to represent Legislative District 25 in the Arizona House of Representatives, Garcia Snyder added that he hopes “promoting a convicted ballot harvester, who has played a key role in the keeping the Democrats’ corrupt grip on our Latino communities,” will “be a wakeup call for the Hispanic community in San Luis and surrounding areas.”
“We are fed up with these hijinks and low standards. I am seeing my fellow Latinos migrating towards conservatives like me who hold high standards, share their values and their languages. Salva tu familia, tu Dinero, tu opportunidades y mas importante el sueno Americano vota con el partido Conservador ‘El Real partido del Hispano.'”
He told The Sun Times, “We as a Hispanic community need to voice our distrust and expect that our elected have respect for their constituents and the Elected Seat.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “San Luis City Hall” by sanluisaz.gov.Â
