With Fountain Hills voters going to the polls next Tuesday, March 11 The Times has asked the candidates to make one more statement about why voters should cast a ballot for them.

Mayoral candidates

Jerry Miles

If elected mayor of Fountain Hills on March 11, I promise that being mayor will be my only job; the welfare of Fountain Hills will be my only concern. The job of mayor is not an evening and weekend task - it is a job which demands the full attention of the individual privileged to serve.

I bring to the office of mayor years of experience in leadership, finance, land planning, development, and community affairs, experience earned during a lifetime of service in the private and public sectors.

I am a lawyer, a businessman and former mayor.  I can read a subdivision map just as well as a balance sheet.  I understand the many problems this marvelous community faces. But most importantly, I am equipped to deal with these problems. 

Over the past four years, Fountain Hills has earned the unfortunate reputation of being a difficult place for small businesses to prosper. I will change that because I understand that the sales tax our local businesses generate is the economic lifeblood of our community. Being in business is hard enough without having to endure the road blocks to success erected by Town Hall.

I will work diligently to keep our budget balanced without a local property tax. There are legitimate arguments for a property tax and I respect those who wish to see one. But now is not the time.

I will insure that our streets are well-maintained. Currently only 45 percent of our streets are in “adequate condition.” That is not good enough.

I will also clean up Fountain Park and make it the jewel of Fountain Hills that it used to be. I will work for change, the change that our residents have told me we need. We can do better, and with your vote, we will do better.

Jay Schlum

Thank you for allowing me to share my background, experience, passion and vision.  What drives me to become the next mayor of our town is a desire to engage citizens and focus on the future.

My parents, John and Dawn moved our family to Fountain Hills when I was only 12. My wife, Denise, and I continue to cherish this town as we raise our children, Carly and Tim. 

I have the leadership experience to succeed as mayor, including years on Town Council, Planning & Zoning Commission, small business owner, church president and large corporation manager.

For years I have successfully negotiated mutually-beneficial agreements with top planned-community developers.  In addition, I coach Little League and enjoy delivering meals to our seniors.

I believe in being fiscally conservative focusing on long term sustainability and strategic planning. My door will be open with a collaborative, “we” not “me” approach to governance.

Accomplishments during my Council term include: returning to financial stability, annexation of state trust land, implementing the strategic plan, improving our parks, and partnering with community organizations including our Excelling schools.

This was done while reducing spending and growing our savings. Three million dollars has been trimmed from the budget since 2002.  

This community has challenges but also great opportunities. We must focus on moving forward while building consensus between residents, business and organizations. We must leverage our Fountain, unique resources and natural environment to draw visitors.

Finally we must maintain our small town character as we continue to build upon the honor of having been rated the No. 1 place to live in the Valley.

Council candidates

Lina Bellenir

This election is the most important election in the town’s nearly 40 year history.

It will mark the beginning of the final/significant milestone in the development of our community.

Each milestone to date has been marked by notable change, and positive change never came without leadership and vision. Without it and once built, a wrong turn is very difficult to reverse and will have lasting impacts.

There have been several significant milestones in our history and as we move toward the final phase of development very important decisions must be made. 

The final milestone in the development of Fountain Hills will be marked by a multi-pronged fork in the road – that once navigated will influence the final character and economic vitality of our community.

Briefly we face the following significant events during the next four years:

• The remaining largest land holdings in Fountain Hills may be developed Ellman Companies. We must ensure that the standard of excellence established by MCO Properties is maintained.
• Core downtown development
• A municipal property tax initiative will be on the ballot.
• There is a fast track search for a new Town Manager.

We will need strong leadership, clear vision, political experience, intellect and a sensitivity to economic vitality.

I am ready to devote full- time attention to these issues.

The future of Fountain Hills rests with your vote, and if I am entrusted with your vote, as a fiscal conservative I pledge/promise to serve the best interest of our community by ensuring for its safety and well being, respecting its special small-town character.

I will sustain the public trust through open/responsive government. And I will maintain the stewardship and preservation of its financial and natural resources by changing the current culture of thinking.

Dennis Contino

Fountain Hills voters have an opportunity to choose three council members and a new mayor. We have all heard various opinions, statements, promises and “pledges.” I would like to represent my neighbors, the residents of Fountain Hills. As your Town Council member, I will listen and I will ensure the decisions made will be fair, open and transparent.

We are facing a vote on property tax. According to a citizen survey completed by the Fountain Hills Focus Community, 9 percent were very supportive and 51 percent were not supportive. The rest were in the middle with 24 percent leaning towards not supportive.

As a council member representing the citizens, I am not supportive of the tax. We were presented with a need to cut the budget several years ago.  The council effectively did just then. Then it turned and extreme spending had once again placed us in the position to cut back. We have room to reduce spending. We have to balance our budget without inflating revenue projections. And we have to do this without increased taxation.

When the economy is suffering we are challenged to be more creative than merely add a tax. We must be conscious of our upcoming developments.

We must be conscious of our local businesses. We must be conscious of our spending. We must examine each and every department within our town hall and truly identify need vs. want.

We have very capable staff; managers with the experience, knowledge and expertise to identify the most cost effective ways.

I have the vision, the integrity and the passion to represent the citizens openly and responsively. Vote for Dennis Contino, be positive.

Cassie Hansen

I believe I can be a positive influence on public policy. Government should be transparent, open, accessible and accountable to its citizens. My experience and involvement in the community provide me with the tools to achieve these goals.

Moving to Fountain Hills in 1989, I worked on the successful incorporation campaign. In 1990, I became the first town employee serving as town clerk/director of administration for thirteen years, often acting as a facilitator between the town government and community.

Coming from the private sector, I had the benefit of being on both “the inside looking out and the outside looking in”, gaining a balanced perspective of local government.

I understand the challenges of the council and town staff but also the frustrations the public can feel in dealing with their government. The “us against them” perception needs to be “we are in this together.” I believe my municipal philosophy of “how can we help you achieve your goals” would benefit our town.

Briefly: We need to re-emphasize our town’s organizational chart with the citizens on top, followed by the council, then manager.

We need to support our local businesses…if they succeed, we succeed; ordinances and regulations need to be updated, applied equitably and with common sense.  Support the Chamber in economic development/tourism efforts.

A property tax is before the voters. During these tough economic times, governments are looking at budget cuts, not tax increases…we should do the same while looking for creative solutions.

The downtown development should make us unique in the valley and reflect our hometown pride.

Development of the former state trust land…too much R1-6 is too much and adjoining neighborhoods need vehicular protection and consideration.

I know where we’ve been, how we got where we are today and would like to serve our residents as a positive influence on our town’s future.

Kathie Kelly

As a 12-year resident I have watched Fountain Hills grow and change. I know we’re at a point when decisions are to be made to determine the shape and personality of our community. I would like to contribute my time, energy and skills toward that end.

I come to this race with no pre-determined agenda, and have no conflicts which would affect my decisions – just common sense and a love of our community.

I believe in a collaborative approach to leadership. I believe the citizens are the driving force in the town’s governance, with the council taking their cue from the public. I believe it is unproductive to dwell on the past except to learn from it. We must make the most of where we are at present and move forward.

I am an entrepreneur, educator and business and personal coach. I have held a seat on the national board of directors of Business & Professional Women/USA and made the hard decisions when belt tightening was needed. I have worked on budgets and done long-range strategic planning.

If you choose to elect me, my commitment to you is to always be available and open to public concerns; to tell the truth backed with hard facts, whether it is a popular position or not; to vigilantly guard our resources both financial and physical; to do whatever is possible as a council member to promote our businesses; to make sure the town is an inviting place for citizens of all ages, and to preserve and protect our beautiful environment.

If these are your priorities too, then vote for me, Kathie Kelly, on March 11.

Keith McMahan

Many Fountain Hills residents are aware of my 35-year record of community involvement in government, schools, cultural activities and in promoting business development.

But the most challenging of all has been the four years I am just completing on the Town Council. The great early 20th century journalist H. L. Mencken once observed that “We should have two lives, the first to investigate, experiment and learn; and the second to achieve, accomplish and thrive on what the first life taught us.”

Certainly, I have learned, as a town councilman, how a small town government functions and how I can be a more positive force, even if I am only one of seven.

Accordingly, I will be an even better representative of my “bosses” - you, the people of Fountain Hills. I will listen more, consider your opinions more, and help make town government more economical, open and responsive to you.

Again, I am against the property tax - and some of things I advocate in my “second life” include - manager hired by new council - modify Town Code to reform manager’s power - revise code to make it more business and citizen friendly - support volunteers and seniors - lower some charges and regulations for non-profit groups at the Community Center - reduce reliance on consultants - review town attorney’s status - require “how can we help” attitudes at Town Hall - improve our Parks - Fountain, Golden Eagle, Desert Vista and our Dog Park - put in Phyliss Kern’s traffic light on Shea which she already paid for - aggressively support Kasnoff, Ellman and MCO property developments, all of which will be boost to our prosperity.

I could go on- but why don’t you just vote for me on March 11 and put my feet to the fire? Thank you.

Michael Tyler

As a result of my role as Chair of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (SPAC), I have been privileged to work closely with the current council, and to gain a thorough understanding of the issues, challenges and opportunities we face.

Internally we face three key issues:

First, we need to work towards financial stability - carefully managing costs, restructuring our revenue base and acquiring new revenue sources.

Second, we need aggressive economic development that supports our existing businesses, attracts new businesses, creates employment opportunities in town and attracts visitors, an important source of revenue

Third, we need to manage and optimize the use of our key assets, such as Fountain Park, the Down Town area and the Ellman property (the former State Trust Land) for both residents and visitors.

We will also be impacted by some issues outside our control and need to be prepared for some of these issues, like increasing congestion here in the Valley, transportation costs and trends, aging infrastructure and demographic changes.

These issues are real, and in order to navigate Fountain Hills through the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead the elected council will need to have breadth and vision, they’ll need courage and persistence and they’ll need ability and experience.

I have lead organizations with budgets and people far in excess of what we have here in Fountain Hills, I understand the strategic implications of what is happening around us and I can deliver a roadmap to navigate our way through; I have already begun to do so in my role as SPAC Chair.

I pledge to put the facts in front of you and to ensure transparency in government through citizen involvement.

Vote for me on March 11, and I will make it happen.