WELCOME NEW CARTOONIST, DAP

I first met David Spelich on the way to the 2018 Council race. He was running with now , Councilman Gerry Friedel and Marcus Von Denowitz. In that race, Spelich was elected, Friedel and Von Denowitz lost. I hosted a meet and greet at my house and Spelich's main focus was the recovery of uncollected funds by the town. Spelich won, the others lost. Ginny Dickey was elected Mayor and that's where this story begins, but the trail of financial irresponsibility by the town under Town Manager Grady Miller goes back years. In his first days in office Spelich uncovered $126K in environmental fees and $655K in uncollected court fees. He unmasked Miller's attempted plan to put the Fountain Hills employees into the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) costing the town large pension payments, benefitting a couple people, but mostly himself. Miller also oversaw the construction of Fire Station #2 on Fountain Hills Blvd to the tune of $400K overbudget.

However, that's about as far as it went with the council having a liberal mayor and majority even though Councilman Spelich openly said at a public meeting that generating revenue for the town and collecting what is due is not a partisan issue. Eventually Friedel, now a Mayoral candidate for 2024, joined the council to fill a vacated seat and thus began the left's majority marginalization of these two thoughtful men.

Another issue which should not have been partisan, but gives all the appearances of being so is the law enforcement contract with MCSO.  Spelich with 24 years in law enforcement went to Town Manager, Grady Miller, and merely asked to sit in on the MCSO contract negotiations and was turned away. Councilman Spelich for his years on the Chicago PD force could see the town was being shorted manpower with its associated overcharge, and then charged overtime, double time by the existing deputies resulting in 2 egregious overcharges to the town. He also noticed Fountain Hills was paying for the police services of Rio and Tonto Verde. The median home price, MEDIAN, home price in those communities is over $800K. That's more than Fountain Hills. Let that sink in while you contemplate the fact that FH was reimbursed ZERO and that policy continues to this day under Dickey.

Now to put the capper on the MCSO contract under the term of Mayor Dickey, Fountain Hills has endured a 100% price increase in service charges while at the same time those very services were reduced.  Putting some numbers to that, the MCSO contract in 2018 when Dickey took office was about $3.2 million/year.  The number currently on the table being negotiated is $6.2 million or about 50% of the entire town budget.  Putting this into greater context, the CPI (consumer price index, and index of inflation)  numbers over the last 5.75 years:

• 2018-2.4%
• 2019-1.8%
• 2020-1.2%
• 2021-4.7%
• 2022-8%
• 2023 to date-4.5%

That's an average of 4.5% over that time which should equate to about a 25% increase from 2018 to date, not 100%.  If that was not bad enough, now add the reduced services and overtime charges resulting from the reduced services of somewhere between $2.4-$3 million and you have a fleecing of the town under Mayor Dickey and Sheriff Penzone.  100% contract increases and another 100% in charges for reduced services in just 5 years.  These same practices by the Penzone regime is why Queen Creek dropped their MCSO contract and formed their own police department.  Startup costs are high but in the end, Queen Creek decided they would have better law enforcement for less money in the long run.

You may or may not like Sheriff Joe Arpaio, but this never occurred during his tenure or at least anything like this that he would have had time to correct.  This article began with the statement that this should not be a partisan issue but the facts belie that.  Mayor Dickey (D), Sheriff Paul Penzone (D).  Why would anyone look out for one man while ignoring the 24,000 citizens that an oath was sworn to protect?  That is the question one should be asking if this is not a partisan issue.

Stay tuned for the complete audio interview with former councilman Spelich.  It is an informative look into the Fountain Hills town government over the 4 years he spent serving the town as a councilman.

An important PUBLIC HEARING FOR ANYONE CONCERNED WITH 5G ANTENNA INSTALLATIONS 20’ FEET AWAY FROM HOMES will be held on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 at the Fountain Hills Town Hall commencing at 5:30 PM.  It will be Agenda Item 9C  Amending Chapter 17, Wireless Telecommunications Towers & Antennas.

After nearly 3 years of exhaustive research by residents, experts, and the FH Planning and Zoning Commission, in order to get this correct, the Dickey  Regime is refusing to pass a 5G Ordinance to prevent 5G Antennas, from being installed 20′ feet away from homes! Instead, Dickey had town staff modify the wrong zoning chapter and is forcing a vote, on Sept 4th, 2024.   Most emphatically these unnecessary, and mostly unwanted towers among other things:

1. Absolutely reduce property values.
2. Incorrectly placed pose a safety risk.
3. Potentially pose a health risk.

That scratches the surface,   www.FountainHillsSafeTech.com goes in depth, in simple language  and chock full of easy to understand videos.  Everyone except, of course, Coucilwoman Grzybowski, who was last heard from on this issue at the behest of Dickey uttering a profundity of incoherent falsehoods from the dais on this issue.  As she leaves the council early, moving from FH,  she'll most likely leave us with a yes vote to put one of these towers potentially in your front yard.

Dickey and her cohorts with the help of the town attorney have refused transparency to the residents and concealed information paid for with town funds (your money), from not only you but the town's Planning & Zoning Commissioners as well.

If you care about health, safety, and property value show up September 4th at Town Hall and be heard.    Submit a speaker card for Agenda Item 9C and hand it to the town clerk before or during the meeting. Then, during the public hearing you will be allotted 3-minutes to speak, where you can ask council to send the ordinance modifications back to the planning commission and allow the commission access, to Campanelli’s Ordinance and Chapter 16 of the Municipal Code, so that 5G Small Cell Antennas, can be included in the amendments to the Wireless Telecommunication Ordinance in Chapter 17, of the planning code. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can still submit the comments above to the town, using the link here https://www.fountainhillsaz.gov/693/Public-Comment-Form 

In an election year and headed for a Mayoral runoff against candidate and current Councilman Friedel, it appears as if town attorney Arnson has broken from his previous pattern in which any ethics complaint against the mayor or councilmember would go to an outside third party attorney for review and decision. This time he  decided to just let Dickey off himself and withheld the decision until after the primary election.  The Alternative steps into the way back machine, well, not that far back in a review of previous Arnson actions.  

• The 2022 Magazine and McMahon complaint went to  Frank Cassidy, Attorney At Law. That didn't go so well for Dickey's people as Mr. Cassidy found Magazine guilty while allowing McMahon to walk, but described her behavior as childish.  https://fountainhillsalternative.com/archives-1 "Down Goes Magazine".  

Arnson then searched out a completely inappropriate attorney from Casa Grande, Tina Vannucci.  Specialty: real estate.  Everything that followed seemed as though someone was telling Vannucci what the desired outcome should be:

• Kalivianakis "directed" town staff (violation) to remove a political sign she did not like during the bond election period.  Outcome, no violation.  Kalivianakis  "requested" that the sign be removed.  The email was  evidence that it was a direction, not a request,  but Vannucci came through for Kaliviankis.
• 1/17/24, during a discussion leading up to the Target Plaza rezone vote, Councilman Skillicorn asked if anyone had ex parte meetings with the developer, if anyone had taken any campaign contributions. He actually wanted his answer in private so he motioned to adjourn to Executive Session.  Of course, Dickey never recognized his motion (a violation).  Then Dickey and company proceeded to file ethics charges against Skillicorn claiming accusations had been made by him.  It's all on video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAmhsTxxnfw  4:09:47.  Later it was revealed through FOIA, that Kalivianakis had directed pertinent documents to her personal email at the request of the developer to keep them from the public view.   This is a lot more extensive than ex parte meetings. Vannucci comes through again for Dickey and company (Arnson), outcome: guilty.  And, nothing ever became of Kaliviankis directing pertinent town information to her personal email and witholding it from other council members all the while pursuing  sanctions against fellow Councilman Skillicorn. Vannucci delivers two for one.
• With much hatred for Councilman Skillicorn, Vannucci was used again in a complaint accusing Skillicorn of aggressive behavior towards a town employee after code enforcement removed a political sign that had a tracker on it and Skillicorn tracked the sign and the town employee who had removed it.  Of course that's all on video as well as bodycam footage from MCSO showed of the three parties involved.  Skillicorn was the least aggressive.  Clearly in the lead was the deputy, followed by the town employee with Skillicorn actually rather docile.  You guessed it, Arnson sends it to Vannucci and received the desired outcome for Dickey and company, guilty, and of course they all vote to heavily sanction him.
• 
  

Now it gets interesting.  Skillicorn sues in Federal Court,  Skillicorn v. Dickey, No. CV-24-01074-PHX-DWL.

"The complaint further alleges that Mayor Ginny Dickey, Town Council members Brenda Kalivianakis, Sharon Grzybowski, and Peggy McMahon, and private attorney Tina Vannucci (together, “Defendants”) "......https://casetext.com/case/skillicorn-v-dickey  This is currently in Federal Court.  

Since Vannucci is now a defendant, Arnson cannot send the Dickey complaint regarding using  one pastor in town to silence another pastor whose message she disagreed with to Vannucci.  Rather than use a shill real estate attorney who they canmanipulate into coming up with the findings that they wanted, Kalivianakis  innocent,  Skillicorn guilty, they have found an easier way to just make this go away.  According to Arnson, he has the right to look at it first and determine if it’s even worthy of an ethics complaint. He has decided that this isn’t worthy.  So now we have a town  attorney whose job is tied to a mayor and  council making a decision about the ethics complaint filed against the mayor, by 2 residents of the town.  It must be hard to find a shill now that Vannucci is disqualified.  

Does anyone not see that this stinks?  Joe and Hunter Biden have  Merrick Garland.  Dickey and company have Aaron Arnson bringing the stink of corruption to the doorstep of Fountain Hills.  Voters have a chance in November to clean house, local and beyond.

The official vote tally paints a different picture than that painted by the Chamber of Commerce CEO and board.  Gayle Earle, with the lowest "Chamber grade of C-" was the only council candidate to exceed the runoff threshold garnering 4,226 votes.  No other candidate for council exceeded the required threshold of 4,216.  Chamber "A+ rated" Art Tolis received the 2nd lowest total of all candidates receiving 2201 and failed to make the runoff.  In a shock to everyone, especially McMahon herself, failing to get in with 4,170 votes (which is below the threshold). she now must run off against "B- rated" Rick Watts with the 3rd highest vote total of 3,715, "C+ rated" Mathew Corrigan with 3,574, and "A rated" Clayton Corey with 3,552.  "C+ rated" Robert Wallace captured a meager 952 votes and "B+ rated" Henry Male received the third lowest total with 2,866.

The race for Mayor will also go to a runoff between the  "C rated" Gerry Friedel receiving 4,061  and of course "A rated" Ginny Dickey capturing less than the required 50% + 1 with 4,507.  Joe Arpaio brought up the rear with 1,527.  It would appear that Arpaio kept Friedel from winning outright as those two competed for the same voters.  The same can be said about Tolis votes in the council race for some council candidates.

With the passing of each election cycle and controversial issue coming before the town, it is becoming increasingly clear that the leadership of the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce is out of touch with the desires of most town residents. From failed school bonds due to fiscal irresponsibility to high density housing, they come down on the wrong side of most residents as reflected in vote totals.  The Chamber fails in their main mission, COMMERCE, while meddling in elections and activism.  All this while small business stagnates, promising companies leave, and no recruitment of corporate employers takes place.

The General Election is November 5th this year with early voting ballots mailed out in advance.  Look for continued investigative reporting by The Alternative with two looming issues being looked into concerning Peggy McMahon and of course the currently stonewalled ethics complaint against Dickey for attempting to silence freedom of religious speech.  Pressure will mount on town attorney Arnson to actually send this to a third party for review.  It may be harder to find someone willing to roll over now that Vanucci, the town's "go-to" lawyer to dismiss charges against those they want to protect, and to uphold the charges against someone they want to find guilty, has been named in Councilman Skillicorn's Federal case.

As the ballots begin arriving it has become painfully obvious that FH is just a microcosm of the country in general. The left controls the main stream media and it parrots the talking points of the ideology.  It tolerates the attack and demonization of the values residing on the right while completely censoring everything coming from the right.  One can see it every week in the FH Times as editor, Ryan Winslett, allows baseless attacks against any individual on the right as well as any group from the same ideology such as PAC, Reclaim Our Town, and then refuses to print any letters with the opposite point of view declaring they have no basis in fact.  The reporting goes that way as well.

Likewise, the FH Chamber of Commerce with it's CEO Betsy LaVoie made it painfully obvious that they too support the leftist agenda of Mayor Dickey and all those whom she would like on the council to institute a full blown takeover/ makeover of Fountain Hills with the same ideals of the Obama/Biden group.  This CEO generally hides behind the board and it may require some healthy skepticism that the entire board supports the ineptitude of this organization.  Commerce being the key word, nary a single major business having been brought to FH but allowing the only domestic time piece manufacturer in North America to leave for Mesa are the hallmarks of this group while they scream for more apartments (high density housing) as if that is commerce.  We could go on, and it's all fact but this report isn't about the Chamber and its fearless leader, it's about what they are selling with their grade report on candidates which much like the rest of the "green baloney" (crediting Sheriff Joe with that), that they serve up.  With the exception  of one gentleman, Henry Male, we already know what these candidates stand for because they all have voting records in one form or another, so let's begin with the true retread.

Art Tolis - former councilman 2016-2020 - Chamber grade, A+ - Tolis voting record/support - hangs out at the Republican Club, 

• supported 2 property tax ballot initiatives both voted down in resounding fashion by FH voters.
• voted for the Daybreak rezone to blow the top off a mountain and build apartments that resembled a nursing home adjacent to multi-million dollar homes.  Daybreak went to a referendum and was voted down by FH voters in the largest landslide in FH history.
• voted to rezone to C-2 the 5+ acre parcel where the medical center resides currently to place a 3 story nursing home at the entrance to FH (Saguaro & Trevino) over the wishes of neighbors adjacent to the property living in million dollar homes.  What a greeting to FH that would have been.
• supported both recent school bond initiatives with the school financials in disarray (AZ Auditor General), performance and enrollment declining.  Voters declining to give $20MM and $25MM consecutively by a margin of 57-43.  Art's a financial guy, you'd think he would know better.
• supported waivers of hillside and wash ordinances for the strip mining of the Adero Canyon development.
• And who could forget the wasted $40K study to turn the Fountain Park Lake into the "Crystal Lagoon".  That project had it been built would have lost the town over a million dollars a year.

On and on for Art, the Avenue as Rodeo Drive is another beauty and of course he was a former Chamber board member which explains his A+ score.  Plus of course, Tolis supports High Density Housing anywhere, everywhere, and never saw a development project  he didn't like.

Clayton Corey - current P&Z commissioner - Chamber Grade A - Corey voting record on P&Z - Democrat

• circumvented P&Z efforts to gain more information regarding the Target Plaza rezone by motioning to approve as submitted which forced a majority vote of not to approve as submitted.  On to the council where the developer knew in advance it would have approval without answering questions
• supported all the high density housing projects submitted.
• did not support efforts to obtain the Campanelli small cell tower ordinance draft.  Thought small cell antennas were for cell phone coverage.
• basically votes against the majority of P&Z 90% of the time
• At the council forum in the midst of discussions on how to pay for a $17MM lake liner replacement and $50MM+ road repair backlog, spoke about how he liked more lit crosswalks ($750K each pricetag) and more sidewalks and bike lanes (millions)

A nice enough man but clearly a Dickey plant on P&Z and a lapdog for the Mayor.

Peggy McMahon - current councilwoman - Chamber Grade A- - McMahon voting record/support - Democrat, Liberal Ladies

• Supports a primary property tax
• voted for stricter sign regulations hurting businesses
• voted for unrestricted "sober homes" (detox houses) in neighborhoods
• voted against restriction on commercial detox facilities
• voted for wasteful spending on roundabouts, additional traffic lights.
• promotes small wave towers in residential neighborhoods
• gets up and walks out on residents speaking at council meetings when she doesn't approve of the point of view among many other disrespectful acts.
• As reported last week, held  a secret meeting with Republic Services after taking campaign finance money to explore the residents paying for electric garbage trucks through higher trash collection fees.  This is the Democrat Green New Scam brought to FH.
• Supports all and any high density housing regardless of affect on neighbors
• Stands with the Mayor on allowing FH to be overcharged by MCSO for police services.
• The list is too long to print, but rest assured it contains a cacophony of leftist philosophy and wasteful spending ideas.

Henry Male - Unknown - Chamber Grade B+ - Self proclaimed independent

• Seems like a nice enough man. No one had heard of Henry until he stepped to the microphone one council meeting and proclaimed himself an independent and a person to bring civility to the process.  Civility is a Democrat trigger word for "listen to us and keep your opposing views to yourself, we'll handle this."
• At the forum, Henry told us he was an Independent at least 15 times.  Usually if someone has to tell you that often, it's not true.
• Lastly, the Alternative will let you hear what his friends have to say.  Our old friend from the 2022 election, Cindy Couture, who outed herself as a communist on social media and then got mad for being called one, was asked this question by someone on "Views from the left of Fountain Hills".  Any progressive candidates running for FH council?"  Cindy's answer, "Peggy McMahon, Clayton Corey, and Henry Male".
• A "paid for by" Democrat club mailer says "Lets make sure we re-elect Mayor Ginny Dickey and Re-elect Peggy McMahon, Elect Clayton Corey and Henry Male.
• There you have it.  Henry's friends telling you who Henry is, while he proclaims independence.

Ginny Dickey - Democrat - Chamber Grade A - Leader of all things Democrat in FH and beyond

• Fiscal irresponsibility spending Covid dollars on roundabouts instead of businesses, promoting left wing wants instead of needs, electric garbage trucks, collaborating with democrat friend, former Sheriff, Paul Penzone, to financially fleece FH for police services and cover it up, campaign contributions from town service providers up for contract renewals, on and on.
• The list is too long, readers would still be reading into 2025.  While proclaiming nonpartisanship, Dickey's latest mailer says it all.  It's a list of supporters, a who's who of the Democrat Left ranging from the president of the Democrat club to the  confessed sign thief stealing conservative political signs in 2022.  All the usual haters you can read every week that the Times prints while censoring the right.

As for the rest of the candidates, the Chamber grade is meaningless now that we know they are shilling for the left.  But just to prove the point, here they are, we're guessing from their websites that these must be fiscally responsible, pro business, pro law enforcement, pro residents conservatives.  

• Friedel C 
• Arpaio C
•  Watts B-
• Wallace C+
• Corrigan C+
• Earle C-

The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce hard at work promoting politics instead of businesses.  Scratch your head and wonder why things are stagnant.

Former Councilman David Spelich first spoke to the Alternative in October of 2023 in the article below.  Nine months later, and in another election season, one candidate for Mayor, Friedel continues to fight for the resident's money while the incumbent Mayor and councilwoman continue to spread misinformation and cover up the issue.  Spelich goes on camera and on the record about the ongoing fight to recover millions of dollars in overcharges by the Penzone/Skinner run MCSO.  See his comments here at the Alternative's YouTube channel.  Stay informed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7OES4KGgVs&ab_channel=fhalternative007

The December 19th Council meeting  had no agenda item regarding the Target Plaza rezone that was recommended for denial as proposed by Planning and Zoning a week earlier by a vote of 4-2.  That didn't stop what appeared to be an organized effort to front run the January meeting where this may be heard.  Chamber president and CEO Betsy LaVoie was huddled up with her minions before the meeting presumably going over their strategy and talking points.

After going through the Stellar Students Economic Development Director, Amanda Jacobs, presented her patented book report which was, as usual, devoid of any efforts to recruit any major employer anchor to Fountain Hills.  It featured the usual small business service or retail but did pause to let everyone know that it would be impossible to have an amazon distribution center in the failing Target retail plaza but rest assured she has over 20 years of experience in the Bio Sciences area  but that's a problem too as it would require rezoning to accommodate any company willing to relocate.  The theme for the evening was established, rezoning for an anchor employer is difficult but rezoning to throw up apartments, no problem.  Lots of statistics (more on that in the call to the public) showing there is no place to live in FH, no one can move here because we don't have enough apartments, all our apartments are full, we need more apartments was the mantra with the loudest voice from the dais being Mayor Dickey directing any anchor employer thoughts away and toward, you guessed it, apartments.  That seemed extremely strange as she and her compatriots spent over a year blocking construction by Bart Shea and the additional  phases of Park Place which is approximately 300 apartments downtown.  This deserves its own in depth analysis that is sure to come in 2024.  

Then after a section of her report on tourism in which a slide graphic of the Adero Resort with FH being depicted as being in the top 5 in AZ, Councilwoman Kalivianakis asked the director whether she had been in touch with the Adero people in reference to the receivership after payment defaults of the facility.  Answer, she has not been in touch, knows nothing, and has nothing to report.  And with that, it ended.  Tourism, extremely important to FH, Adero, FH largest resort in receivership, and the town Economic Development Director has not been in touch, knows nothing, and has nothing to report.  Maybe she has just been focusing too hard on building apartments at the Target Plaza to have heard.

Then the onslaught began with call to the public.  First up:

1. Pam Cap (support Target apartments) - affordable housing, not restrictive and just for rich white folks, town revenues from apartments pulled out of thin air and  will rain from the sky, and as usual, all council people who are not from the left are evil, especially one.  All her information is correct and everyone else's is not, don't listen to them, listen to her, and lastly everything in the universe seen through the lens of transgender and gay people.  
2. Phil Sveum  (support Target apartments)  - agrees with everything Pam Cap says and relates to development in Dallas.  Hardly a comparison to what FH was intended to be, and currently is unless the residents allow folks like this to turn FH into Dallas.
3. Beth Culp - taking a breather from the apartments at Target to make the obligatory attack on Councilman Skillicorn as a transgender hater.  Then moving into theater of the absurd with a turkey story complete with cartoon annotation assisted by Pam Cap.  The Alternative is not sure what the moral to the turkey story  was, but it must have had something to do with Skillicorn and transgenders.  Unfortunately, or mercifully, depending on how you look at it, Beth Culp ran out of time and we don't know what happened to the turkey.  Maybe Councilman Skillicorn is the turkey and he's cooked in her story?  We just don't know.  This is must watch.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yex_QX_e2_E&ab_channel=TownofFountainHills   Time code 55:20-58:28.  Maybe readers can send in interpretive theories.  
4. Art Tolis (support Target apartments) - It's great, it's perfect, he's been told (don't quote him on any of this), just believe him.  IN ART WE TRUST  and oh by the way he had to sit through 4 painful hours of P&Z trying to uncover what the real master plan of this complex is (they never did).   A review of Art's positions of recent history:   Art as a mortgage broker knows full well you can't borrow money with your finances in disarray yet supported a bond for a school with its finances so bad it was under scrutiny by AZ Auditor General.  Art supported Daybreak development that was going to blow the top off a mountain and put a bunch of apartments next to million dollar homes.  That went down in a referendum by 73%. Art thought you could turn the Avenue of the Fountains into Rodeo Drive (as in Beverly Hills) and supported putting a nursing home larger than the floor of the Cardinals stadium at the entrance to town, right where the medical center is now.  All those are dumb but we saved the best for last.  Who could forget the Lagoon project at the Fountain Park.  Art even got the town to waste money on studying this hair brained idea to turn part of the lake into a glorified swimming hole for out of town families to bring their coolers, sped no money in FH while leaving the town with the bill for water treatment of the swimming hole.   In short, Art's never seen a bad development project he didn't like.  
5. Clayton Corey  (support Target apartments)  - Clayton sits on P&Z and proffered the motion to approve as written after reading the same democrat nonsense as he repeated, verbatim, in call to the public.  Clayton gets in all the left's  buzzwords, diverse housing, walkability (no cars), walkable neighborhoods, progressive urban planning, attracting families even though half the complex is 1 bedroom apartments, environmental and sustainable growth, economically diverse, positive transformation, on and on.  Of course all of this is contrary to what was intended for Fountain Hills as written in its history, "....looking to relocate citizens out of the city and to the "no congestion, quiet, community just over the hill from Scottsdale."
6. Crystal Cavanaugh (against as proposed) -  Finally someone asking some of the same questions of this project that 4 members of the P&Z were asking but got no answers from the developer's attorney on 12/11/23.  But more importantly, a fact based analysis of the project.  No hopes, wishes, transformations of Fountain Hills into something it was never intended to be,  no economic revenue numbers pulled out of thin air.  Instead, alternatives that may actually lead to the desires professed by proponents of apartment development for a more vibrant Fountain Hills, more children and younger demographic with an advancing economy.  This woman must be hated, she's much to logical and factual.
7. Betsy LaVoie (support Target apartments)  - Ms. LaVoie is the chamber President and CEO.  1.5 minutes of her 3 minutes were devoted to letting the council know that she is an expert of impeccable stature.  She left out this part of her resume which comes from an interview just this past August: "I actually was a realtor by profession after my mom had passed away.  My mom was a realtor here in Fountain Hills for 25 years. My dad was a  builder.  I come from a development type family.  Both of my brothers are also builders, developers."  and that explains the usual "all and any development is good" mantra.   She also took her patented position, which is anything not said by her is misinformation and questioning anything of concern is stupidity or fear mongering also showing no respect for the town's P&Z commissioners who wanted more answers on the Target rezone than they got.
8. Pam Curtis (against as proposed) - A 29 year resident and living directly across from Target, posed an interesting point of view.  Sandor, the developer, bought the property with all the empty businesses and then did not even attempt to fill the storefronts by lowering the rent to keep or attract new businesses but would rather tear half of it down for apartments to "revitalize" the center all the while asking the town to ignore all the zoning ordinances and requirements that have been established.  Pointed out all the concerns brought out by P&Z along with the misdirection that this apartment building was for families when less than 10% are 3 bedroom and 50% are 1 bedroom.
9. Barbara Sutter (support Target apartments) - Congratulations went out to Amanda Jacobs for bringing options to FH.  The Alternative is not sure what options have been brought other than apartments but Barbara seems to think so.  After that, the usual, housing shortage in FH mantra, seems to think we don't have mixed use in FH.  We're all guessing she has not been down to the Avenue to see Park Place and doesn't know another 300+ apartments will be built as part of additional phases of the Park Place complex.  She rambled on with the usual platitudes but the most striking takeaway from her 3 minutes was her desire to drive down the prices of housing.   There's a concept for all the property owners in FH, loosing the value on your investment in favor of someone else.
10. Barry  Wolborsky  (statistics) - Mr.  Wolborsky  appears to have a statistics background and lays to bare the misinformation of the economic development director's report, gives several examples but in general, states little faith in any of it, which may point to the deeper issues around this subject matter here in town.
11. Mel Carr (support Target apartments) - Owns a business, works from home, lives in Scottsdale and paid more to live in Scottsdale because she couldn't afford a newer home in FH?  We're confused but our confusion was dispelled as she is a member of the FH Chamber of Commerce and supports apartments in FH and a painfully obvious recruit to speak of Betsy LaVoie.
12. Stephen Gay, aka, the trench coat - Just letting us all know he's leaving to go back to Sonoma County, bids us adieu, and now we know why all his diatribes have been lefty progressive in nature.  Back to California.  The Alternative is certain Councilman Skillicorn won't be missing Stephen.
13. Cindy Couture (support Target apartments)  In a rambling semi-incoherent 3 minutes, Cindy  Couture related single garbage hauler debates of old with overly dense apartment developers and laid claim to the majority in town who would say, "BUILD THESE APARTMENTS".  Her memory must be failing as 73% said no apartments at Daybreak in a referendum rebuffing the council vote at the time which included the aforementioned Art Tolis.
14. Scott Schlosberg  (support Target apartments)  Chamber board member, clearly a Betsy LaVoie mouthpiece.  Also a P&Z Commissioner who failed to attend the meeting and then called it craziness, thus disrespecting his fellow commissioners. But he had enough time to spend 3 minutes encouraging the council to ignore the P&Z recommendation, at the same time belittling some of the minor things they discussed but never mentioning any of the big concerns that were never answered by the developer, which actually were the reasons behind the P&Z recommendation to not approve.  But finally we get to some real nonsense along with probably the meat of his love of the project, self interest.  First the nonsense, comparing this project to the Raintree and 101 complex where the population base is multiples larger, and after all, is Scottsdale. and his employees can live across the street instead of driving from Mesa.  Maybe, as an insurance agent he can sell car insurance to the 500 or so new car owners residing in the apartments across the street, just a thought.
15. Gene Schletcta (support Target apartments)  Another Democrat trotted out who was once a P&Z commissioner.  While respecting the P&Z commission, Gene thinks that this time they got it wrong.  So like the rest of the parade of Democrats and incompetent town leaders, staff, and useful mouthpieces marching to the podium, he gives us the pat reasons to transform FH into something it was never intended to be, but as Mr. Wolborsky pointed out with our esteemed economic development director, spewed a statistic that just cannot be true and thus discredits everything else said because it is so wrong.  Gene said the complex would provide about 500 residents (we're assuming they are all new to FH) who would supply about $500,000 of sales tax revenue.  So Gene thinks the commission got it wrong.  It would appear all the pro  Target apartment crew are indeed math geniuses, including the genius who organized this waste of time onslaught.  
16. Ed Stizza  (against as proposed)  Last but not least Ed Stizza asks the questions that need to be asked including the elephant in the room.  What ever happened to the 300+ apartments of the next phases of Park Place?  Everyone who was paying attention the last few years knows there are 2 councilwomen and a Mayor that blocked that developer for over a year, and that was a deal that was already done.  How many millions did Bart Shea lose as the interest rates went up 5% during that time period?  How many apartments do we really need here in FH?  Who actually moves to FH to live in an apartment?

And with that it ended.  An hour of the same old tripe, the developer sales pitch repeated, with some facts (always characterized by the Chamber CEO as misinformation) and a touch of insanity by the resident Skillicorn haters.

Just as we sign off the air for 2023, the breaking news we find the AZ Auditor General has reported that FHUSD still has 15 uncorrected deficiencies, 10 partially corrected deficiencies, and 1 new deficiency.  "The areas containing the most significant deficiencies are Cash and Revenues and Information Technology, leaving the district and student monies susceptible to loss, theft, and misuse and risking accuracy, reliability, and security of District data."  The Auditor General report and district finance management was something  that Bond opponents pointed out as a reason to reject the bond in November.  Of course, then as now, that was a position opposite to Chamber CEO Betsy LaVoie who lapped up that sales pitch by the school superintendent and characterized all the real information as misinformation.  

Welcome in 2024 with another sales pitch, this time the Target Plaza apartments,  swallowed without question by the Chamber.  Not to worry, any questions asked are just misinformation.  The Chamber knows all, sees all, and to prove it to everyone, you can pay for the breakfast on January 4th and hear the sales pitch from the developer yourself.  Don't expect any tough questions answered though, they ducked all the pertinent ones at P&Z.  Happy New Year from the Alternative.

Stepping  a  little out of the direct news of the town but still staying in the realm of investigative journalism the Alternative is accustomed to delivering, we looked into where some of the towns money is going.  Large sums or small sums, all sums add up and of course it is your money.  This was an interesting  small sum of money, MAG dues and contributions which total between $10K-20K per year.   One of the  "benefits" of being a member of MAG is that FH citizens are treated to regular updates on homelessness in the county from  MAG experts.  One of the benefits the FH citizens don't get is anyone coming to FH to pick up our homeless folks and taking them somewhere for rehabilitation and shelter.  FH has received money from MAG to add a lane to Shea Blvd. from Technology to FH Blvd.  Not sure  there has ever been a traffic jam reported there but FH did receive money for that and the town has been promised MAG money for the repaving of Palisades over the next 20 years.  Remember though, while it sounds free, in reality, it is some taxpayer's dollars, even some of yours.  So it's not free, as nothing really is.

Now that the benefits portion of FH involvement in MAG has been established, on to the meat of our story.  " The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) hosted a race-based training discussing the evils of whiteness, and how only white-skinned people can be racist."  EVILS OF WHITENESS, ONLY WHITE-SKINNED PEOPLE CAN BE RACIST.   The training was done by a company named "Racial Equity Partners" with its presenters being   Donald Whitehead, Jr. (co-founder)  and  Mayté Antelo-Ovando .  In case readers haven't guessed it,  they are people of color and of course victims of the evil white man even though from their biographies they seem to be quite successful.

This group, and these presenters would provide the Alternative an opportunity to go on  for  thousands of words, tens of thousands as the nonsense goes on and on.  So we're going to  pull out just a few gems and provide the links for further reading.  

•  Whitehead cited a claim from “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates that the idea of race comes from racism. Whitehead then claimed that race was created as “an excuse” to colonize, pillage, and enslave, namely by Christians.  
•  Antelo-Ovando then discussed whiteness, which she introduced as part of her point that racism defines current society. Antelo-Ovando then defined “white supremacy” and “white privilege” as reigning factors of present society.    “We are living and breathing in a racist society,” said Antelo-Ovando.  
•  Whitehead insinuated that racial-based grievances were more pressing than other problems people experience. 
•  Whitehead and Antelo-Ovando further claimed that success arising from hard work was “gaslighting.” 

The real reason for this report, is  do FH residents really want to send our towns money to pay for such drivel?  Remember when Grady Miller, probably at the direction of Mayor Dickey, approved a $10K contract with Social Prosperity Partners to "facilitate" the FH Council retreat just this past February?  The current council majority found out about it and it was cancelled but of course the contract had a no cancel clause in it and the $10K was gone, wasted.   The social justice, equity, and basically the "RACE/VICTIM" industry is thriving in America.  Big business, but it's really not new.  The Reverends Sharpton and Jackson have been at it for decades but now others are catching on and who might the main customers be?  Of course, government and other taxpayer funded organizations, woke corporate boardrooms and the like.  It's a hustle, shakedown as it were.  It would appear that to sum up the message in a few words, success does not arise from hard work,  and those that did work hard to achieve success, owe it to those who don't.

This messaging is a plague in America as has been said, but bringing this all back to local, according to the 2022 census, 92.6% of the population of Fountain Hills is white.  This reporter is certain that they and the other 7.4% are hard working (or retired formally hard working), successful residents.....and not racist.  That being said, the residents and taxpayers of FH continue to send money to MAG, an organization who hires people to lecture and train them on how we, in Fountain Hills, are all racist.  That would appear to be completely insane but we here at the Alternative are standing by to now be called racist by the true "gaslighters" out there for pointing this out.

If you want to read more on this subject follow the links but beware, the more you read, the angrier you may get.

•  Maricopa Association Of Governments Race Training: Only Whites Can Be Racist - AZ FREE NEWS 
•  Racial Equity Partners  - who they are and what they do
•  Donald Whitehead, Jr. — Racial Equity Partners  - bio of presenters
•  https://racialequitypartners.com/mayte - bio of presenters