James: Vote to keep Fountain Hills great

I'm confused. These are the things Councilman Friedel is saying in his campaign ads, literature and on social media: Keep Fountain Hills a beautiful place to live. Maintain our quality of life. Keep Fountain Hills a special place to live. He proclaims these things and then says it's time for a change.

Under Mayor Dickey’s leadership Fountain Hills has continued to be one of the safest communities anywhere. The town is financially sound and, in fact, has the lowest per capita spending in the Valley. Ginny has put Fountain Hills on the proverbial map regionally. And we have an excellent, hard-working town staff.

Friedel has been on council for four years and voted for every annual budget and every capital project, but supported moratoriums and repeals that ignored attorney advice, and voted for the town to not defend a lawsuit about the town clerk’s statutory responsibility, following Councilman Skillicorn’s lead. Are these the kinds of changes he has in mind?

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that they love Fountain Hills, so why does Friedel want to change it?

Vote to re-elect Ginny Dickey as mayor and keep Fountain Hills great!

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.