“The big issue of paving policies still hangs on,” was the loud headline in The Times of Fountain Hills on Oct. 21, 1982.
The story told about a contentious town hall meeting involving the road districts to discuss streets in Fountain Hills. While the players were different, and the issues slightly changed, the main issue was the same 40 years ago – paying for pavement.
Fast forward to 2023 with the Town Council meeting in a work session Nov. 16, to hear about and discuss pavement conditions, priorities and how to pay for the improvements. There were four council members on the dais in person, two phoned in to participate, but there was one conspicuous absence. Councilman Allen Skillicorn, the council member who champions the mantra “streets first,” was not there to offer his input and opinions. It was originally reported that, according to staff, he had offered no explanation for his absence. In an email to The Times Independent following the story’s initial posting, however, Skillicorn stated that he posted to social media and emailed the town clerk notifying he would be unable to attend due to work.
