Fountain Hills Town Council Candidate Scorecard
ROT-SUPPORTED CANDIDATES ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CLASS
The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce has published its 2024 Legislative Report setting out its “letter grade assessments” of the candidates for Mayor and Town Council. The report is the culmination of an extensive inquiry into each candidate’s qualifications. We have provided a link to the comprehensive report at the end of this post.
We were gratified to see that the Chamber Board of Directors awarded the highest marks to the four Town Council candidates who have made it clear that they will not engage in the ugly, hyper-partisan culture war being waged by Councilmembers Toth and Skillicorn and supported by Councilmember Friedel.
Our Dysfuntional Town Council
Our current Town Council is the most dysfunctional in our history due primarily to Councilmember Skillicorn’s grandstanding and his deliberate efforts to create chaos and divide our community. In the past 18 months Skillicorn has been more than an embarrassment. He has been a disaster, causing untold damage to the once stellar reputation of our Town. But Skillicorn is not the only contributor to the dysfunction.
Councilmember Friedel has attacked Councilmember Grzybowski and one of his constituents in an obvious attempt to impress his ROT constituency. Friedel has supported Skillicorn by voting in favor of even his most ridiculous and damaging proposals and by refusing to sanction him for his assault on a Town employee. Recently, in his campaign literature, Friedel has asserted baseless claims of misfeasance and malfeasance against our mayor.
Councilmember Toth has also entered the fray by making an unfounded ethics complaint against Councilmember Kalivianakis ,who she has repeatedly attacked on social media. Toth has also engaged in a social media feud with Skillicorn. He accused her of lying and she scolded him for being childish.
This dysfunction is not only embarrassing, it is harmful. There is work to be done by our Town Council. That work can be done only if a majority of the councilmembers are committed to and capable of calmly and collaboratively conducting the business of running our town.
The “Top of the Class” candidates identified by the Chamber’s Board are both committed to and capable of bringing an end to the chaos and dysfunction.
THE TOP OF THE CLASS CANDIDATES:
Art Tolis received an A+ from the Chamber Board. It is not surprising that representatives of the Fountain Hills business community would enthusiastically support Tolis: he is a successful businessman, an avid supporter of local business, and has prior Town Council experience. However, the responses to the Candidates’ written responses were blind – the Chamber Board graded these responses without knowing the identity of the candidate who submitted them.
On social media Tolis has been treated harshly by Friedel supporters angered by his support of Joe Arpaio’s candidacy.
Friedel’s supporters have also questioned Tolis’ judgment by referring back to 2017 when, as a councilmember, he spearheaded the drive to add a five-acre swimming lagoon, beach, and boathouse to Fountain Park. Fortunately, the plan did not make it off the drawing board. If this had not been the case, the result would have been an ecological, aesthetic, and economic disaster.
Tolis has been criticized for his support of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and accused of engaging in a conspiracy with “the other side” to split the vote to secure Mayor Dickey’s reelection. Although the suggestion of a conspiracy is patently absurd, we were also concerned by the fact that Tolis linked his candidacy to Arpaio, but for different reasons.
Apart from his age and inexperience with local government Arpaio is not a viable candidate for mayor. Arpaio’s refusal to recognize or respect any authority other than his own has cost the taxpayers of Maricopa County more than $300 million. Arpaio has repeatedly boasted that he “would do it all over again.” Arpaio’s past and ongoing association with far-right extremists, including white supremacists, is a matter of grave concern.
It is, or should be, apparent that Arpaio has no real interest in being the mayor of Fountain Hills. Arpaio wants to relive his experience as a sheriff and envisions himself leading a volunteer posse through our streets. We don’t need a sheriff – we need a mayor.
Tolis has justified his support of Arpaio by referring to the former sheriff’s name recognition and popularity with millions. Tolis imagines a future where tourists will be drawn to Fountain Hills because of our fountain and Fountain Park, the Dark Skies Discovery Center, and because Joe Arpaio is our mayor. The skeptics among us question that vision and believe that Arpaio has as many detractors as he does supporters. Arpaio is and always will be a loose cannon and a lightning rod – undesirable characteristics for a small-town mayor.
Based on his past support of the lagoon project and his current support of Arpaio, #FlourishFountainHills would have awarded Tolis a B.
Clayton Corey was awarded an A by the Chamber Board, a remarkable accomplishment for a first-time candidate for public office. Eight years ago, when he relocated to Fountain Hills, Corey dedicated himself to learning everything he could about our community, and it shows.
For the past five years Corey has dedicated himself to serving our community as a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission and more recently, the Sanitary District. He has proven to be a knowledgeable and influential member of both.
Corey is a strategic thinker, as demonstrated by his responses to the complex and multilayered questions posed by the Chamber Board to the candidates, but he is also capable of thinking outside of the box. In addition, Corey is openminded, engaging, and unflappable. Corey clearly earned his A.
Peggy McMahon was awarded an A– by the Chamber Board. A review of her written responses to the questions presented to the candidates supports the Board’s determination that she belongs at the top of the class. Every one of McMahon’s responses was informed and thoughtful. Her vision for our town’s future was clearly and articulately presented.
McMahon’s commitment to our community is also clear. During the past 18 months she has been targeted for abuse by those who want to stop all development and turn Fountain Hills into a giant, gated enclave reserved for people who are just like them. Given the ferocity and unfairness of these attacks it is a testament to McMahon’s tenacity that she decided to seek reelection. We are fortunate that she did.
Henry Male was awarded a B+ by the Chamber Board. Male is a newcomer to politics but not to public service. Male has lived in Fountain Hills for more than two decades and during that time has served as the president of the Fountain Hills Theatre Board and been actively engaged in local and international public service projects.
Male promises to bring a fresh but seasoned perspective to the Town Council. He has no interest in the mean-spirited, contentious backbiting engaged in by some of the current councilmembers. Male is extroverted, affable, and open minded and has, through his responses to the questions posed during the Candidate Forum and by the Chamber Board, demonstrated that he understands the issues and is qualified to serve as a member of the Town Council.
THE BOTTOM OF THE CLASS
Robert Wallace was given a grade of B- by the Chamber Board. On its face, the grade was not unreasonable given Wallace’s responses to the written questions, which were both reflective and quirky. During the Candidate Forum, Wallace presented himself as inexperienced, self-effacing, and sincere. Wallace readily conceded that he has no experience with local government but expressed his eagerness to participate and serve as the voice for a younger demographic. It is likely that during the in-person interview the Chamber Board found Wallace’s candor and lack of pretense refreshing.
But there is a dark side to Robert Wallace that we believe disqualifies him from holding public office.
Wallace prides himself for being a Chapter Leader for the organization Gays Against Groomers. An organization described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “a chapter-based organization that amplifies dehumanizing anti-trans rhetoric, perpetuates anti-LGBTQ+ stereotypes by falsely claiming that LGBTQ+ supporters of trans rights are dangerous to society – including equating gender-affirming health with pedophilia and calling trans people a ‘blood thirsty terrorist cult.’”
Wallace’s social media is revealing:
Based on his leadership position with Gays against Groomers and his very troubling social media posts, some of which are shown above, Wallace holds beliefs that are antithetical to our core principles. For this reason, Flourish gives Robert Wallace the grade of F.
Rick Watts, a ROT-supported candidate, received a B- from the Chamber Board. From a distance, Watts looks like a viable candidate. He has been a resident of Fountain Hills for more than 35 years and based on his candidate bio, has experience as a business owner and contractor. Watts also reports that he has an “in-depth understanding of finances.” Of the three ROT-supported candidates, Watts received the highest grade.
But we have concerns about Watts that are unrelated to the fact that ROT supports him. It appears that Watts is both a prima donna and a hothead.
At the time it awarded Watts a B- the Chamber Board may not have been aware of his contentious presentation and inexplicable outburst during the June 18 Town Council meeting.
As background, it should be noted that Watts is a current member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and considers himself to be well versed, if not an expert, in issues relating to 5G and its potential adverse effects on health. It appears that prior to the meeting Watts was frustrated by the Town Council’s failure to provide P&Z with a document prepared by an outside attorney, who had been retained by the Council based on his expertise in 5G regulation.
During the Call to the Public, Watts contended that P&Z had been denied the opportunity to review this document, which it purportedly needed to prepare what he described as a “comprehensive ordinance that addresses the safety, health and well-being of town residents.” During his presentation Watts accused the Council of misdirection, stalling, and concealing information from P&Z.
Watts went on to lambast Councilmember Kalivianakis for a statement she made at the June 4, 2024, Town Council meeting. During that meeting, in an apparent attempt to explain her view of the respective roles and responsibilities of advisory commissions and the Town Council, Kalivianakis said:
“The Planning and Zoning Commission is not made of telecommunications experts. They are farmers. They are butchers. They are people of the town.”
Councilmember Kalivianakis subsequently apologized to any members of the P&Z who may have found her reference to “farmers and butchers” disrespectful or demeaning.
Watts was not, however, prepared to accept the apology and move on. He needed to vent. During a sternly delivered three-minute lecture, Watts made it clear that he was deeply offended that he, as a member of P&Z, had been compared to “farmers” and “butchers.” Watts dramatically concluded: “I can accept the Council’s direction but not its insults.”
Later, in response to Councilmember Kalivianakis’ explanation Watts jumped up from his seat, turned his back on the Council and as he moved to the back of the chamber was overheard saying: “bullshit.”
Watts’ reaction was totally disproportionate to the perceived slight, and his subsequent outburst was inexcusable. After witnessing this bizarre behavior voters must ask themselves how Watts would react to a constituent’s direct criticism of his performance?
The last thing we need is another self-important and volatile councilmember. Based on our concerns about Watts’ temperament, Flourish would give Watts a grade of C-.
Mathew Corrigan, the second ROT-endorsed candidate, received a grade of C from the Chamber Board. We know relatively little about Corrigan. He attends Town Council meetings and sometimes shares his thoughts and opinions during Calls to the Public and Public Hearings. According to his candidate bio, Corrigan has also offered his thoughts and opinions in letters to the editor of the Fountain Hills Times. As a result of this involvement Corrigan reports that he was urged by other residents to run for the Town Council.
We found Corrigan’s responses to questions posed during the Candidate Forum and his written responses to the questions published in the Chamber’s Legislative Report to be both unimaginative and uninspiring. Corrigan has no experience as a volunteer in our community and has not served as a member of any commission or committee. This lack of community engagement is unusual for candidates for the Town Council. For these reasons Flourish would give Corrigan a grade of C-.
Gayle Earle, the third ROT-endorsed candidate, received a grade of C- from the Chamber Board, the lowest score of any of the candidates for mayor or Town Council.
Earle’s responses to the questions posed during the Candidate Forum and her answers to the written questions in the Legislative Report were peppered with promises to be the “voice of the people” and preserve “our desert oasis.”
According to her candidate bio, Earle’s status as a long-time resident and business owner qualifies her to serve as a member of the Town Council. Earle has no relevant experience as a community volunteer.
Our overriding concern with Earle’s candidacy is not her lack of experience, but her unabashed allegiance to ROT and Allen Skillicorn.
When Earle announced her candidacy, she posed for a photo with Skillicorn. In Skillicorn’s social media post, commemorating the event, a beaming Earle is shown sitting next to Skillicorn over the caption: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
During a campaign speech delivered to the Rio Verde Republican Women’s Club, Earle spoke glowingly of ROT and referred to Skillicorn as Fountain Hills’ “boldest councilmember.” Earle went on to describe the hearing that resulted in the imposition of sanctions against Skillicorn as a “public lynching.”
Another concern with Earle’s candidacy is her son, Chris and daughter-in-law, Ashley. Chris and Ashley, who live in Scottsdale, are frequent attendees at Town Council meetings. Ashley has frequently offered her “opinions” during Calls to the Public and both have been actively engaged in town politics.
Both Chris and Ashley, are intent on stirring up controversy and creating division. Recently, Chris has made false claims of “stalking” and “doxing” against residents he believes to be his mother’s political opponents. It appears that he has also participated in creating fake duplicate Facebook pages where he has attacked and attempted to embarrass the Mayor and other residents who he has falsely accused of being “left wing extremists” and members of “hate groups”.
Ashley has a leadership position with Moms for Liberty and supports the infamous January 6th QAnon Shaman, Jacob Chansley. Ashley is shown proudly displaying her “We the People” tattoo on her right forearm. “We the People” is a slogan adopted by the white supremacist group, “Patriot Front” dedicated to “preserving” America’s identity as a “Pan-European nation”. Chris and Ashley refer to themselves and their children as “The Patriot Family”.
Gayle Earle’s election to the Town Council will be viewed by Chris and Ashley as a sign that voters approve of their efforts to escalate the culture wars. Our Town Council does not need another disruptor or another Skillicorn supporter. Flourish gives Gayle Earle the grade of D.
In conclusion, it is our fervent hope that the residents of Fountain Hills recognize the importance of this election. Skillicorn, Toth, and Friedel are intent on taking us down a treacherous path that will stigmatize and further divide our community. In this election we need to vote as if the future of Fountain Hills depended on the results, because it does.
Link to Legislative Report
Full report: https://publuu.com/flip-book/12824/1271423/page/36