RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Maybe the competing sides on health care could settle disputes like they do in Arizona, where a Phoenix area local election ended in a tie. Renee Gutel reports from member station KJZZ.
RENEE GUTEL: Cave Creek, Arizona is the kind of bedroom community where there are more saguaro cactus than people.
When a town council race last month produced a tie between two candidates, Mayor Vincent Francia floated his idea for settling the race, cowboy style.
Mayor VINCENT FRANCIA (Cave Creek, Arizona): That the two candidates would assemble downtown Cave Creek at high noon and go at it with paintballs.
(Soundbite of theme to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly")
GUTEL: Instead they turned to Arizona law, which says tied local elections can be determined by chance - either through rolling dice, flipping a coin or cutting cards.
(Soundbite of deck of cards)
GUTEL: That's Cave Creek Magistrate George Preston, dressed in his black robes, shuffling the deck of cards last night that would finally decide the race. About 60 people crowded council chambers, including a few lawyers who had hashed out two pages of rules for the drawing.
Aces would be high and the judge would shuffle the deck six times.
Mayor FRANCIA: And we're just about halfway through the shuffle. Three…
GUTEL: Mayor Francia emceed the drawing. Incumbent Thomas McGuire cut the deck first.
Mr. THOMAS MCGUIRE (Town Council Member): Here's to the good citizens, the town of Cave Creek, and a Western tradition.
Magistrate GEORGE PRESTON: McGuire, six of hearts.
Mayor FRANCIA: Six of hearts, Thomas McGuire.
GUTEL: Then challenger Adam Trenk stepped forward for his turn.
Mayor FRANCIA: And the cut of the cards.
(Soundbite of applause)
GUTEL: Frank pulled a king of hearts, and McGuire politely conceded. Trenk pocketed the card as a keepsake. He said he was happy with the result, but only to a point.
Mr. FRANK TRENK (Town Council Winner): It's a little disheartening that seven months of hard work would be decided by a game of chance like that. But I understand that that's the law of the state.
GUTEL: In the end, Trenk said he still felt he'd been elected by a vote of the people — with a little help from Lady Luck.
For NPR News, I'm Renee Gutel.
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