Local News

Tusayan Voters Send A Message To Stilo

November 9, 2014

The Tusayan Sanitary District, which has been looking out for the residents of Tusayan for decades, will not fall under the control of Italian developer Stilo. Robb Baldosky, one of Stilo’s contractors, came in third in the Tusayan Sanitary District race. Tusayan Fire Chief Bob Evans and local businesswoman Yvonne Trujillo received 38% and 36% of the vote respectively. Baldowsky received 24%.

The Sanitary District routinely puts the interests of the community ahead of Stilo, which seeks to alter the face of Tusayan by adding three million square feet of comemrcial space even though there is no water source. The District continues to hold Stilo accountable.

Baldosky did have an impact on Tusayan politics. His ballot item which calls for the direct election of the mayor and limits the mayor’s term in office to two years got 65% of the vote. While Baldosky may benefit from the Stilo development, his ballot item does weaken the office of mayor and presents a challenge to Mayor Greg Bryan’s rule.

Mayor Bryan and the Council believe the new law does not go into effect until 2016. At the November 5th Town Council meeting, Bryan was again appointed Mayor and Craig Sanderson was appointed Vice Mayor.

The meeting also saw the swearing in of reelected council members Bill Fitzgerald and John Rueter. Fitzgerald, who has been attacked by Italian developer Stilo, was the top vote getter in the recent Town Council elections. Stilo, which previously spent heavily in municipal elections to advance their own interests, has stayed out of recent elections. The recent votes seem to indicate the mood of the electorate when an Italian developer isn’t spending boatloads of money to further an environmentally devastating project at the doorstep of the Grand Canyon. 

As Stilo continues to gather criticism for broken promises on housing and trying to steal land from Tusayan schoolchildren, it’s no wonder elections are not going their way. It would not take much for Stilo to go on another hiring binge and import a bunch of residents to cast ballots in future elections. Stay tuned.