By Steve Thomas | Fountain Hills
During the April 15 town council meeting, when the discussion turned to whether the sanctions imposed on Councilmember Skillicorn for his unbecoming conduct during the “Signgate” incident should be removed, Councilmember Earle stated “it is time for forgiveness and grace.” I have a few questions for her.
Did Skillicorn show any grace to the Code Enforcement officer when he chased him and tried to intimidate him? How about when Skillicorn lied to the MCSO deputy on camera? Any grace shown then? Has Skillicorn showed any grace by apologizing to the Code Enforcement officer? How about when Skillicorn publicly berated the town’s CFO, accusing him of intellectual dishonesty when the CFO told Skillicorn that a funding option for streets was not a tax hike.
If Councilmember Earle can’t provide any examples of when Skillicorn showed any grace in the above instances, perhaps Gregg Dudash can, for, in his March 8 letter, he stated “Christianity isn’t about moral perfection — it’s about grace.” Where has Skillicorn’s grace been when dealing with town staff and the MCSO deputy? Or does grace go only one way?
Lastly, during that same discussion Vice Mayor Toth chimed in, stating “the procedure of these sanctions was completely unprecedented, completely outside of the norm … handled in such a way that we have never seen in our Town … The idea that this is exonerating something that was egregious is completely a false narrative.”
The procedure and sanctions were indeed unprecedented, because Skillicorn’s behavior was so disgustingly unprecedented. Consequences matched the behavior. The vote by three councilmembers and Mayor Friedel to remove Skillicorn’s sanctions is exactly what Toth stated — an exoneration of something that was egregious.
“Who is so deafe, or so blynde, as is hee, that wilfully will nother heare nor see.” John Heywood, 1546, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings.
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