Cave Creek mayor not expecting a duel

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It looks like two valley mayors will not be meeting in the middle of the street at high noon.

Cave Creek Mayor Vincent Francia showed up at a recent Scottsdale City Council meeting and challenged Mayor Jim Lane to a duel, of sorts.

“Mayor Lane and I would square off in a sort of shootout, so to speak,” Francia said.

He thought it would be a fun way to decide the dispute over which town can call itself the “West’s Most Western Town.”

Scottsdale has used that slogan for 60 years, but Francia said things have changed. While Scottsdale has become a trendy, prime destination, he said it is really Cave Creek that is more like the Old West.

“When our citizens ride into town, they do hitch their horses up to posts and go into bars and restaurants,” said Francia.

Lane has not responded to our requests for comment, but Francia thinks he knows Lane’s answer to his duel request.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Francia said. “I think that the Mayor is politely declining that invitation.”

But Francia isn’t giving up. He’s now suggesting that the two communities stage an annual event.

“They [Scottsdale] would come out to Wild West Days in Cave Creek and enter into a competition,” Francia said. “We [Cave Creek], in turn, would go to Scottsdale – perhaps during Parada Del Sol – and do a competition there.”

Francia would not say what the competition would be, but he thinks that it would draw lots of publicity for both Scottsdale and Cave Creek.