As Fountain Hills struggles to recover from the Great Recession, candidates for the Town Council are focused on reviving economic vitality for the community.

The Noon Rotary Club at a recent club meeting invited the four candidates for the three available council seats to introduce themselves, answer questions and talk about the future of the community.

Lina Bellenir, Nick DePorter, incumbent Councilman Henry Leger and Alan Magazine all attended the Rotary forum to discuss the key issues.

“Public officials are elected to solve problems,” Bellenir said. “As I’ve talked with people I keep hearing them say they want ‘change’ with the upcoming election.

“You bring about change by getting involved. I know I have something to offer, and I want to take (my) experience and knowledge and use it for what is best for the community.”

DePorter calls himself the “family candidate” -- moving here four years ago he now has two young children.

“We live near Four Peaks School, and when I came here I looked forward to the day when my son could walk across the street to school,” DePorter said. “The school has been closed. Nothing shows the decline of a community more than a school closure.”

DePorter said he plans to stay, raise his family in Fountain Hills and be involved in making a better community.

Leger notes that he has been in the community for 22 years. He said his two daughters, now graduated high school, were not just raised in Fountain Hills, they were born to the community.

“I’ve always used a collaborative approach to problem solving,” Leger said. “I do my research and make informed decisions.”

Key issues for Leger are sustaining the financial health of the community, economic development, maintain infrastructure and provide for public safety. He said he believes the contracts with MCSO and Rural/Metro provide excellent service in a cost effective manner.

Magazine said he decided to become a candidate to talk about the issues.

“I want to work to solve our problems,” Magazine said. He noted that the population is aging as school enrollment is declining.

“We have challenges in this town, but we can overcome them if we work together,” Magazine said.

He said Fountain Hills needs to make some noise to let people and business in the rest of the Valley, and the region, know the community is here.

One questioner asked how to maintain a small-town feel and still have the amenities to attract more people.

“The community needs a framework for moving forward,” Bellenir said. “All we get is talk and more studies – no decisions. We need to move forward.”

There is a fine balance, according to DePorter.

“We have a good combination with our Economic Development Plan and the Downtown Vision Plan,” DePorter said. “There needs to be more amenities to attract families, a pool is worth rehashing.”

Magazine said the small town appeal will not change, because Fountain Hills will always be a small town.

“(Small town atmosphere) and improvements are not mutually exclusive,” Magazine said. “We need to continue to invest in the town, we need to progress.”

Maintaining the small town character and providing for development is a balancing act, Leger said.

“Remember it takes four votes (on the council) to get things accomplished,” Leger said. “There are also revenue issues and how to get there.

“Rooftops (population) are important to improving our economy.”

Partnerships

Another question related to how to provide adequate activities for children and youths to create a secure after-school situation.

“We need to improve our public/private partnerships with schools, churches,” Leger said. “There is a lot of room to improve here.”

Magazine agrees with the partnership approach.

“There are a lot of successful community volunteer efforts,” Magazine said. “We can’t look to government to do everything – there are other priorities with public safety and maintaining infrastructure.”

Finding options to fund such programs and amenities is key, according to DePorter.

“There is room to do more, but we need to pay for this,” he said. “We need to look for other options for funding.”

Another questioner noted that the town is receding and no one wants to help fund services and amenities. There is property wealth in Fountain Hills, how do you get revenue returned when no one wants to spend money?

Bellenir said the town should use creative marketing in its economic development efforts to showcase empty buildings so investors can feel and touch what is available.

“You need to spend money to see a return,” DePorter said. “Investing in local business is the fabric of the community.”

Magazine said town revenue can be dramatically increased with population.

“Six or seven thousand people would increase sales tax revenue by $2 million a year,” Magazine said. “Also, snowbirds, and I was one, are not paying their fair share. We need to find some way to tap into that resource.

“We also need to let the Valley know who we are.”

Leger agreed with the “rooftops” solution.

“We need population to support local business,” he said. “Economic development is part of the solution.

“We are working toward these goals.”