Congratulations to Councilmember Michael Scharnow on his opinion piece in this week’s Fountain Hills Times. He gives a concise, lucid description of the complex issues that the Council and other Town employees must confront when dealing with decisions involving people with substance abuse disorders, who may require various levels of treatment.

His compassionate, educative perspective on “community bias” and “stigmatization” underscores the need to deal with the “not in my back yard” culture that has existed among many segments of the population when addressing psychiatric disorders.

Thank you, Mr. Scharnow, for all the time and energy you expend on your work on the Council and with the local drug coalition.