Congratulations to the new councilmembers selected to lead Fountain Hills into 2021 and beyond. The official swearing-in ceremony took place on Dec. 1, welcoming Peggy McMahon, Gerry Friedel and Sharron Grzybowski to the community’s leadership. They were joined by Mayor Ginny Dickey, who was re-elected to serve her second two-year term. The new councilmembers are signing on for four-year terms and will join continuing members David Spelich (our new vice mayor), Mike Scharnow and Alan Magazine.

Following the roller coaster of a year that 2020 turned out to be, this new council certainly has its work cut out for it. But smart budgeting and careful planning by Town staff and the previous council means the whole crew will have an opportunity to hit the ground running.

Speaking of town staff, The Times commends the council for not only delivering on its promise of a pay raise, but also bumping it up from the planned 2.5 percent to a unanimously approved 3.5 percent. See our reporting on page 1A for additional info but, suffice to say, these folks have thought outside the box and put in immeasurable effort on countless occasions, managing to keep up the same level of service with fewer resources through some very tough times. They are a big reason for the community’s success over the years and have more than earned the additional compensation. Thank you for all that you do.