Candidates draw cards for council seat

PHOENIX, June 17 (UPI) -- A deadlocked election forced the Arizona town of Cave Creek to resort to a deck of cards to determine the winner of a seat on its governing council.

Cave Creek voters were unable to decide whether they wanted Thomas McGuire, 64, or Adam Trenk, 25, to fill an empty seat on their seven-member council, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Each man got 660 votes in a runoff election last month so Cave Creek consulted Arizona's constitution which calls for a game of chance, like cards or dice, to break the deadlock.

A judge selected a deck of cards from a Stetson hat Monday and shuffled it six times.

McGuire, a retired science teacher and two-term incumbent, drew a six of hearts while Trenk, a law student and newcomer to Cave Creek, picked a king of hearts.

"Originally we thought of settling this with a paintball fight but that involves skill, and skill is not allowed in this," Cave Creek Mayor Vincent Francia said.