The Calera election saga is finally over, and we could not be happier for that city’s citizens. After a year’s worth of going back and forth with the U.S. Department of Justice, Calera citizens finally know exactly who their leaders are.

We’d like to congratulate the six newly-elected council members as well as Mayor-elect Jon Graham.

Calera has been well-led for the last year by Mayor George Roy and the original council, but it was past time for the citizens to have their say.

However, not enough Calera citizens took the opportunity to vote. It’s a sad truth that around here, 18 percent in any election is a pretty high number.

This election was, without a doubt, one of the most highly-publicized elections in recent memory — and still, less than 20 percent of Calera citizens voted.

Yet, that 18 percent changed the makeup of the Calera City Council by voting in Ernest Montgomery, who was not elected in the 2008 election. In fact, out of the council candidates, Montgomery received the most votes. What a difference a year makes.

We hope the new council members are ready to hit the ground running and make a mark on Calera with new ideas. It’s time to move on from the controversy of the past year and concentrate on helping Calera continue to grow into one of Shelby County’s finest cities.