Italian developer Stilo’s attempts to take over the Tusayan Fire District and the Tusayan Sanitary District have fallen short. In the Town Council race, Stilo-backed Mayor Greg Bryan was the winner in a race that pitted Bryan against write in candidate and Tusayan Fire Chief Robbie Evans.

Bryan had 89 votes. The write in votes totaled 73; all but nine of the write-ins were for Evans.

Meanwhile the Fire District will remain in independent hands as none of the Stilo backed candidates received enough votes. The top vote getters were Andrew Aldaz with 99 votes and John Vail with 77 votes. Both men have longstanding ties to Tusayan and long records of public service.

Stilo’s attempt to control the Sanitary District fell short. The top two vote getters were Pete Shearer with 98 votes and John Vail with 72. Stilo backed Bob Wirth received 69 votes. None of the other Stilo candidates captured enough votes despite Stilo’s efforts to pump up its slate.

Had Stilo won the Fire District race, they would have been in a position to topple a potential source of opposition in the form of Chief Evans, who has stood up to the Stilo takeover of Tusayan.

If Stilo gained control of the Sanitary District, it would have given them a leg up in exploiting fragile water sources that feed the Grand Canyon and the Havasupai Tribe.

While Stilo has focused a great deal on taking over every aspect of Tusayan, their promises of affordable housing have yet to materialize. Stilo may have purchased a great deal of land in the Tusayan area, but the Italian company learned Tusayan’s Fire Department and Sanitary District cannot be bought. They also learned that true public servants such as Robbie Evans and Pete Shearer cannot be pushed to the fringe of the Town they have protected for so many years.