Last week I submitted a letter to the editor questioning the Friedel administration’s failure to issue a statement that would bring media and public attention to the order dismissing Councilmember Skillicorn’s lawsuit with prejudice. I then sent an email to Mayor Friedel suggesting that: “(A)s the town’s mayor you have an obligation to do everything in your power to restore the reputations of the town, its public officials (who were found to have acted legally) and the employee who was labeled a ‘thief’ for doing his job.”
Mayor Friedel’s reply to my request (forwarded to me by the Town Attorney) included the following justification for his administration’s silence: “It has not been our practice to comment on nor issue media releases on legal matters when they conclude.”
This statement was demonstrably false.
During the time that Friedel served on the Town Council three lawsuits were brought against the town. The first, brought by the Shea Group, was settled. The second, brought by ROT and its chair, Crystal Cavanaugh, was like Skillicorn’s lawsuit, dismissed with prejudice after a court’s determination that it lacked merit.
At the conclusion of both actions Fountain Hills issued official statements describing the legal basis of the dispute and the outcome. Mayor Friedel’s reliance on past practice to justify his administration’s silence was both unwarranted and inexcusable. The mayor could have located the articles reporting on the outcome of litigation through a review of the town’s “Newsflash” archives.
“Past practice” does not explain or justify Mayor Friedel’s failure to honor his pledge of transparency. There are, however, alternative explanations. An official statement would remind residents that Friedel voted against sanctioning Skillicorn for his violations of the Code of Ethics and would further embarrass the mayor’s political ally for his inability to prove his scurrilous claims.
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