The Times is continuing its series of questions to the candidates running for mayor and town council this week. The question posed this week is: How would you work with members of the Arizona State Legislature to assure the best interests of the Town?

Joe Arpaio: After 24 years as Sheriff and the chief law enforcement official for Fountain Hills, I realize how important state legislators are, especially when they have a direct impact on Fountain Hills such as the passage of laws regarding drugs, illegal immigration, crime, development, water shortages, et al. The passage of appropriate laws is necessary and must be approved by the governor to become law. If such laws are not passed because of political or other reasons, then an appeal made through the courts should be considered.

Our legislators covering Fountain Hills have done a good job. A prime example is House Representative John Kavanagh. He is unique since he served on the Fountain Hills Town Council for many years and now serves as an Arizona House Representative. Representative Kavanagh understands why it is necessary to constantly communicate with other legislators and citizens, not only in his hometown of Fountain Hills, but also throughout Arizona and the country before he prepares and submits bills.

As mayor, I will appoint a liaison between Fountain Hills and the State Capitol legislators in order to keep me advised on political bills and other issues that are being considered by the legislators to help ensure our town’s best interests are being met. That liaison person will report directly to me and will be a volunteer at no cost to the taxpayers or the town of Fountain Hills.

Ginny Dickey: My ten years of experience at the State Capitol provided me with thorough knowledge of the Legislative process, and the insight to operate effectively in that arena. I research and track relevant bills, discuss with staff and the public, and bring forward with my colleagues -some who participate in weekly calls on Legislative items during session - to council meetings where we often take official positions.

There are several ways to communicate with lawmakers, including the usual calls and emails plus other tools such as the State’s “Request to Speak” feature on their website. Fountain Hills belongs to several groups that represent the interests of local governance including the League of AZ Cities and Towns, the Maricopa Association of Governments, the East Valley Partnership and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. Our town has Council Members in each of these organizations and on their committees, so we help create the proposals. I vote on the legislative agenda on behalf of the Council at the Annual League Conference. We have a consultant who is present at the Capitol first-hand, advocating for transportation, shared-revenue, zoning and other issues, including flight-path negotiations.

That said, ambitious goals must be tempered with realistic expectations. Leaving decision-making to those who have the closest contact with constituents is the underlying theme of municipal, school board and county legislative plans. Unfortunately, the ability of your council to make local policy has been eroded over the years by state and federal laws that are legally binding, sometimes limiting our actions. Group homes, fireworks, short-term rentals and signage are recent examples.

Mayors and councils speaking with one voice - joining with allies at home and from across the region - and contacting legislators who have an interest in your issue to respectfully ask for help, are keys to success.

Allen Skillicorn: I believe each member of the council should interact with the Legislature and advocate for our town. That is why I am so disappointed with the current council majority and Mayor on this subject. Currently the town pays a lobbyist $20,000 a year to lobby the legislature. A sitting Congressman lives in town. One of our State Representatives, John Kavanaugh is a former Council member. Kavanaugh often attends Council meetings and appears to be far more productive than our paid lobbyist. Have the Mayor and Council majority not thought of picking up a phone and talking with our Representatives directly?

That is money the town could spend on streets or infrastructure. We do not need to spend $20,000 a year doing something that each council member and Mayor should already be doing.

My priorities when dealing with legislators are:

*Protect our revenue streams.

*Protect local control and local zoning.

*Seek further regulation and oversight of the commercial addiction homes in neighborhoods.

I am running for Council to bring common sense ideas of hard work, thrift, and initiative back to our town government.

Hannah Toth: Serving in local government in a manner that best benefits the entire people of Fountain Hills would absolutely include fostering relationships with our counterparts in the state legislature. When issues arise that do not necessarily fall under the roles and responsibilities of the council, it shouldn’t stop there. If the people of Fountain Hills make a concern clear to me, and as a council we know that it does not fall under our scope, I pledge to find the person or people that CAN help, and to follow through on my commitment to act as an advocate for the people of Fountain Hills to our state legislature whenever necessary. A recent example of this collaboration would be how we manage sober living homes. State and federal laws created certain compliance issues to the town’s regulating these facilities. Understanding the importance of navigating these barriers properly, the people in our community who worked diligently on researching the issue called in Representative John Kavanaugh to help navigate these obstacles. On top of this, when bills come down the pipeline that could negatively affect Fountain Hills, having a strong relationship with our State Legislature will help to ensure that our voice is truly heard when we submit our position on the bill. As we build up relationships with the State officials, it will serve the council well to do our job and look out for the benefit of our citizens. As a current candidate, I am in a unique position to build relationships with other decision makers to do what's best for Fountain Hills. I believe this is not only important but necessary for ensuring I will be able to do the job right on Town Council.

Cindy Couture: Frequently, the Town encounters obstacles placed by our state legislators as they design and propose laws. At times, their laws produce unintended consequences. It’s extremely important to be able to work with legislators to protect the best interests of the town.

One example of our town needing protection from the legislature is the recent controversy with a proposed bill affecting state zoning laws. The legislature proposed a bill (HB2674) which would pre-empt the zoning authority of towns. The bill would make towns powerless over zoning.

Mayor Dickey contacted the legislature and released a statement claiming, “multi-family developers could ignore zoning ordinances, design standards, and adopted building codes . . . Residents would have zero notice and no opportunity to learn about the project or provide comments.” In the Fountain Hills Times, State Representative John Kavanagh called the bill “The most serious threat to our community’s property values and lifestyle that I have witnessed in the past 16 years as your state legislator.”

A crisis like HB 2674 needed instant address. Through the combined efforts of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), our Town’s experienced lobbyist, Jack Lundsford, and our town officials, the Legislature (which had produced the bill with original good intent—to assist in creating affordable housing), was persuaded to back off on the bill. Crisis averted.

It is that kind of concerted effort I would join to address any kind of threat to our Town. Additionally, because of my years of advocating for improved education funding at the State Legislature, I’m familiar with their processes. I have spent days speaking to legislators. I know a few of them personally. Basically, I would be a Mama Bear when it comes to protecting my Fountain Hills.

Brenda Kalivianakis: It is of utmost importance that federal, state, and local governments work together for the common good. Serving the public requires a synergy in all levels of government to build roads, parks and other vital services needed to have a stable and strong community and economy.

Local governments rely heavily on their partners in state government. State governments issue licenses for marriage, driving, hunting, etc., regulate commerce within the state, conduct elections, support the public health of the citizens, create laws for legal drinking and smoking ages and so much more. Since the impact is so great on local government, it is critical that your local representatives have a good working relationship with their statewide counterparts.

I am fortunate to personally know many of the leadership in Arizona state government or those running for statewide office in Arizona. I have already had successful working relationships with our state officials. If elected as your representative, my existing relationships would be most beneficial. As a former prosecutor, retired attorney, and previous business owner, I have the experience, the knowledge, and the experience to skip the training period and get to work on day one.

My promise to you, the residents of Fountain Hills, would be to listen to what you want, first and foremost. By understanding the desires of the citizens, I could clearly and concisely advocate your wishes and desires to state officials. For example, if you want state laws to regulate sober living homes for the safety of the residents and the neighborhoods surrounding them, I would be your voice. Where many seek office to rule over people, my greatest desire is to serve you and be your advocate to elected officials that hold statewide office.