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Consolidation proposal divides Taylor, Snowflake
32 comments by Dennis Wagner - Oct. 7, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
TAYLOR-SNOWFLAKE (or SNOWFLAKE-TAYLOR) - Every Fourth of July, folks in the hamlet of Taylor fill a metal pipe with black powder, stick an ancient anvil on top of the pipe, then light a fuse.

Ker-Blam!

The "Firing of the Anvil" is a prideful tradition in these parts, a blast of heritage that dates to the late 1800s.


Now, plans to merge Taylor with neighboring Snowflake have ignited a different kind of explosion in the sibling communities, one full of family feuds, public name-calling and political turmoil.

The towns' leaders adopted resolutions this summer for a public vote on consolidation in March.

Their theory was that one semibig burg might operate more efficiently and harmoniously than two small rivals. Instead of unity, however, the proposal polarized residents of Taylor who fear their identity, history and political voice will be eclipsed by the slightly larger town to the north.

"We have never gotten a fair shake from Snowflake in anything we've been involved with them in," said Fay Hatch, 55, a Taylor native. "We'll be like the children of the second wife."

The new municipality, if approved, would be the first marriage of incorporated communities in Arizona, a union allowed under a law passed in the 1940s. Pinetop-Lakeside was formed in 1984 when two unincorporated communities joined to create a new municipality.

But leaders in both Snowflake and Taylor agree the outcome is less than a foregone conclusion: Over the decades, at least three other consolidation attempts of the two Mormon-dominated towns, with a combined population of about 9,800, failed before any public vote was held.

"It's never been done before," said Gary Solomon, 70, a Taylor resident who fears his family's legacy will be eclipsed out by a merger.

In August, when Taylor's Town Council considered the latest merger resolution, more than 225 people showed up, forcing a venue change from Town Hall to the firehouse. One protester who demanded a voice was escorted outside by police after Mayor John Cole limited debate to just four speakers, two on each side.

Members of an opposition group, the Taylor Fact Finders Committee, collected more than 750 signatures on a petition opposing the merger, then filed recall petitions against Cole and Councilman Robin Palmer.

The dispute grew so mean-spirited, Taylor Councilman Jordy Fuentes said, that town leaders got hate mail, and a Mormon stake president publicly admonished church members to maintain civility and mutual respect.

Passionate fight

"It's been a bloodbath," Fuentes said. "There is a hatred among some elders so passionate they won't shop in rival communities."

Cole, who resigned as mayor last month because of a job transfer to Phoenix, said efforts to demonize have been disappointing.

"It's an ugly tactic," he said. "It's been an attempt to break me down. . . . And I know these people's backgrounds. They should know how to treat others."

Beverly Kay, who lives in Snowflake, said she was asked by merger opponents to move her businesses out of Taylor after she endorsed the merger. To visitors, she said, the furor must seem downright puzzling.

"They're looking at this Mormon community that is supposed to have all these righteous values, and we're fighting among ourselves," she said.

Legacy of goodwill

At first blush, the mile-high towns seem tranquilly unified along Silver Creek in rolling hills about a three-hour drive from Phoenix.

Both communities are dominated by a rural Mormon culture and connected by Arizona 77, known as Main Street, which features antique streetlamps decorated with American flags and hanging flowerpots.

Snowflake was founded in 1878 by two of the area's early pioneers, Erastus Snow and William Flake, who unselfishly agreed to consolidate their last names. Taylor was established three years later and christened after John Taylor, the third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The idea of a merger seemed to cause little consternation among Snowflake folks or younger Taylor residents.

They attend schools together and marry across town limits without controversy. They own homes in one community and work in the other. The two town halls even boast a history of cooperation, sharing a police department, library, recreation director, airport, schools and rodeo grounds.

"In the eyes of everybody else, we're the same place - Snowflake and Taylor," Fuentes said. "We're the same folks on the same dirt."

But some natives, such as 68-year-old Ron Bish, see a distinctive culture in Taylor, a lifestyle under threat.

"What we have in common is we live at the same altitude," Bish said.

'Emotions run high'

Before calling for an election, the town councils appointed an independent committee to study the process and impact of consolidation. The panel concluded that a merger could reduce municipal costs, enhance unity and inspire economic development.

Tom Belshe, deputy director for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, who helped prepare the report, estimates that the communities could save $400,000 to $2 million each year by eliminating duplicated jobs and equipment.

"It makes a lot of economic sense," Belshe said. "But change is very difficult. Emotions run high. . . . From an outsider's perspective, these are two homogenous communities. But they don't see it that way."

Passions run hottest over a prospective name for the new town. In a March election, voters will be asked not only whether consolidation should occur but also what the new town should be called.

Ballots will offer two choices: Snowflake-Taylor or Taylor-Snowflake.

Members of the Fact Finders Committee admit to a historic inferiority complex. They are slightly outnumbered. The local high school is already named for Snowflake. And they are certain that Snowflake will win the naming contest, making Taylor second fiddle.

"Just one more slap in the face," Hatch groused.

Beyond pride, however, opponents say there are practical reasons to oppose a merger. Fliers circulated by the Fact Finders Committee challenge the projected cost savings and question Snowflake's financial status.

"I said, 'Where's your business plan?' " Bish said. "They don't have one. They were selling us pretty much empty rhetoric."

Belshe said it is impossible to produce a specific economic plan for consolidation because the new town council would have to decide when, where and how much streamlining should be done.

Still, merger foes put out reports suggesting that Taylor residents will wind up subsidizing the bigger town. Kay, the business owner, said she researched those claims thoroughly "and disproved every single one of them."

So, the arguments continue. In the end, die-hard opponents acknowledge that the feud is rooted in a sense of heritage. Some just can't stomach the idea of living, or dying, in a place known by any name other than Taylor.

"My great-grandparents, grandparents and parents are all over in that cemetery," said former Councilman Eddie Hancock, nodding toward the local graveyard.

"And that's where I plan to be buried."

How consolidation works

Under Arizona law, two municipalities may merge if they have a common boundary, are located in one county and have a combined population of less than 150,000.

Town councils adopt resolutions asking the board of supervisors to hold an election within 180 days in which voters approve or reject a merger. Unification must be approved by a majority of ballots cast in each town. Voters also choose a name for the new town from a list of up to four possibilities.

Once consolidation is adopted, the old municipal governments cease to exist. The new town assumes their debts, obligations and assets. County supervisors appoint seven council members, who select a mayor from their number.

Ordinances from the former towns remain in effect, with those of the larger community prevailing where conflicts exist.
Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes, League of Arizona Cities and Towns report