When Dennis Brown stepped down from the Town Council dais on Dec. 1, he had completed 20 years of service to the Town of Fountain Hills. Brown was appointed to his council seat in May 2009 following the passing of Councilman Keith McMahan. He was re-elected to two full terms. Previous to serving on the council, Brown sat on the Planning and Zoning Commission beginning in December 2001. He acted as chairman of the commission for several years.

Brown came to Arizona in 1994 and moved to Fountain Hills in 1996. He was in the construction business and had a plan to start his own business, which he opened in 1999 as Echelon Builders.

“Moving to Arizona was the best decision I ever made,” Brown said. “Fountain Hills has been good to me.”

The issue that drew his interest to the Planning and Zoning Commission was the Hillside Protection Ordinances. He was serving as president of the local Contractors Association and, at the time, felt the ordinance was illegal.

“If you are going to pay taxes on the entire lot, you should be able to use the entire lot,” Brown said.

It was two leaders on the commission that Brown credits with helping him understand the government process; Bob Howes, who was chairman when Brown was appointed, and the late Michael Downes, who chaired the commission later.

“They taught me so much about how to run a meeting and the planning process,” Brown said.

After eight years of service on the Planning and Zoning Commission, Brown was contemplating stepping down. He was on vacation when he received a phone call on a Saturday morning. It was Mayor Jay Schlum and Councilman Henry Leger asking him to submit his application to fill the seat vacated with the passing of McMahan.

He was one of eight applicants and was selected by the council after a process that included a public forum of the candidates.

Brown said Schlum was a good mayor and was a mentor for him when he came to the council. He also said that Leger was the best council member he had worked with during his tenure. Leger was a three-term council member who retired in 2018.

Brown said he often saw things differently than Linda Kavanagh when she was working with the Chamber of Commerce and other activities. However, after she was elected mayor, Brown said he came to appreciate Kavanagh.

“She was laser-focused for the citizens of Fountain Hills,” Brown said. “No one worked harder than she did for the people of this community.”

As a home builder, Brown was opposed to development fees, period, so an increase was not something he could appreciate. However, Brown said that, once on the council, he had the opportunity to see how the fees worked and he came to believe there was a need for them. He said he also believed there was a need to increase what Fountain Hills was receiving and voted to support the hike.

Very early in his tenure on the council, Brown was faced with one of the more controversial issues ever decided by the council –single-hauler trash collection.

“I was receiving emails from people pledging to run me out of town if I voted for it, and those who supported it threatened the same if I voted against it,” Brown said.

Brown used his expertise as a contractor to advise and assist the town on several major projects, including the reconstruction of the Avenue of the Fountains median into the plaza now used for many events and activities.

“We went outside the norm and hired a contractor and saved the town a lot of money,” Brown said.

He recalls working with then Councilwoman Ginny Dickey on the Centennial Circle project, building and installing the monuments to the state that encircle the plaza between the Community Center and Library/Museum.

Brown also assisted with the construction of the outdoor cooking area at the Community Garden.

The decision to replace the legal services the town was receiving from Gust Rosenfeld and Andrew McGuire was important to Brown.

“I considered Andrew a friend, but it was time to make a change,” Brown said. “(Current Town Attorney) Aaron (Arnson) was a rookie when he came on board but had done a stand-up job for the town.”

Brown is also happy to have participated in re-writing the hillside regulations to allow for more buildable lots in the community using pedestal construction on canyon-side lots.

“The roundabout was the last big item we participated in,” Brown said. “That should have been done years ago, but we were able to do it for considerably less than the original estimates.”

Brown believes that during his tenure the town government was productive and effective.

“All three of the councils I sat on, I felt were solid, solid people – everyone worked hard, and I tip my hat to them. I know how much it takes to do the job,” Brown said. “Our town consists of the people of Fountain Hills, and we are working for the citizens of Fountain Hills. That has to be on your mind when you are serving.”