Former Town Clerk Cassie Hansen perhaps summed up best the feeling of certain Town Council candidates when she said in her closing statement it’s too bad eight people can’t be seated on the council.

Hansen and three other members of the Fountain Hills Republican Club held a candidates forum Feb. 16 before members.

Since there are only three seats open on the Town Council, not all four will be elected this spring, but judging from Saturday’s gathering, these four candidates are virtually interchangeable when it comes to their positions on issues and criticism of the current administration.

Besides Hansen, others at the forum were incumbent Councilman Keith McMahan and fellow challengers Lina Bellenir and Dennis Contino.

Mike Tyler and Kathie Kellie also are running for Town Council, but since they are not members of the Fountain Hills Republican Club, they were not asked to participate in Saturday’s forum.

The four candidates often complimented each other during the forum and many times reiterated what the others were saying in response to questions from the moderator as well as from the floor.

The lone exception was when Linda Kavanagh asked about a $9,000 study commissioned by the sitting council to examine instituting pension plans for council members in the future.

Contino, Bellenir and Hansen all denounced the concept, and McMahan said he was against it, too, though admitting he voted for commissioning the study.

McMahan said often things “come at you” fast and furious during council meetings and “every once in a while one slips through.”

Bellenir, who sat on a city council in Michigan, said she realizes that council meetings can be “fast and furious,” adding, “But it is a full-time responsibility that takes attention to detail.”

Otherwise, the tandem of four Republicans all agreed changes need to be made so proper authority rests with the Town Council in relation to placing items on the agenda and relating to the town manager.

“The town manager shouldn’t control the agenda and have all this authority,” McMahan said. “Right now I need to lobby two other councilmen to place an item on the agenda.”

They also agreed the new U-turn being built near Avenue of the Fountains and Saguaro Blvd. was a waste of money and that the town handled the entire intersection poorly the past year in an attempt to increase pedestrian safety.

“If you want an example of waste in government, that’s it,” Bellenir said. “It’s government run amuck.”

Hansen said the most disconcerting thing about the situation is that area business owners were not communicated with regarding the changes.

All four agreed town staffers should relate to the public’s needs in a positive manner and that it is incumbent upon the town manager to set the tone for all employees.

The four also said they would not have voted for placing the property tax question on the ballot at this time. McMahan, in fact, was the only sitting councilman to vote against the issue.

Voters will go the polls May 20 to authorize the property tax levy or not.

“The timing is just off,” Contino said. “Why not try to have some other alternatives?

“No one is talking about budget cuts like other cities.”

The four candidates also agreed that code enforcement should be equitable for homeowners as well as business owners.

They also were in agreement that the current Town Council should not be pushing ahead to hire a new town manager and that the “new” council in June should make the final decision.

One man challenged the candidates to determine which one of them would save him the most money and why.

“Spending has gone out of sight,” Contino said, “and I will make sure we do watch the budget.”

Bellenir, who earlier said she had to resign from her job with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office because she is running for elected office, concluded, “I gave up my job to take on that responsibility.”

Hansen said, “It’s an issue of trust. The town wants evidence that costs are being cut. They want less of a cavalier attitude from the council.”

McMahan said, “I’m all for good causes, and everyone wants money, but you have to cast a sharp eye at everything.

“It would be nice to have a majority on the council that you could work with on these types of things.”