By Dustin Gardiner
![Sal DiCiccio](https://s4745.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sal-DiCiccio1.jpg)
The Arizona Republic
Valley leaders are still scratching their heads over the Phoenix City Council’s unexpected vote last week not to renew membership in the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, an influential lobbying and educational association for municipalities.
But Councilman Sal DiCiccio, a ringleader of the 5-4 vote to block paying annual dues to the league, says he is confident the city eventually will return to the fold.
“At the end of the day, I believe the council is going to end up supporting staying within the league,” DiCiccio said last week during an interview with The Republic’s editorial board. “It was to get people’s attention. If it was just about the money, we would have continued (the vote).”