A requirement of any candidate for a seat in our town government is respect for our trust; trust in him/her to put the benefit of our town ahead of any specific personal need or belief.

It is sad that one of the four current candidates for a seat on our Town Council does not meet that essential requirement. Information published about that candidate in a recent issue of The Fountain Hills Times, and confirmed by an internet search, certifies that unfortunate fact. While a State Representative in Illinois, 23 improper votes were found to be cast in his name while he was actually in Harvard, Ill., 200 miles from the statehouse. The Illinois Legislative Inspector General cited him for an ethics violation. He was not reelected and in disgrace, he resigned his seat before the end of his term.

That candidate has a record of betrayal of the trust put in him by voters of his previous residency. He is more comfortable showboating, as he did on June 1, 2019, walking next to a gaudy parade float, all while somebody was “inadvertently” voting 23 times for him back at the legislature. When he left Illinois for Arizona, he used crude black lettering made with electrical tape to scrawl “ESCAPE IL” on his trailer. Very classy.

Putting him into a decision-making position in our government would erode the confidence and trust we must have in our Town Council. If this candidate, relatively new to Fountain Hills, has any real desire to be an asset to our town, he should announce the withdrawal of his candidacy. Should he gain a seat on our Town Council, all of us, of every political stripe, would be the losers.