The Times continues this week with its series of questions for the two candidates for mayor and six candidates for Town Council leading up to the Aug. 28 primary election in Fountain Hills.

The second question being posed is the following: How do town government officials enhance their trust relationship with constituents?

Cecil Yates: Communication! Through this process, we can build trust through understanding. Distrust in government starts when a community does not know a decision has been made or why. My leadership style is called Authentic Leadership, where the team’s input is valued, and honest relationships are formed. As mayor, I will continue to be honest, use integrity, and advocate trust.

The new information age is where everyone gets instant news from different sources; newspaper, Facebook, Instagram, etc. The town’s business is on our website and includes reasoning, discussion and decisions in print and usually video. It is not user friendly or interactive. Therefore, “headlines” on a topic will rule the day. A platform for misinformation is created which leads to distrust.

Building a successful organization requires communication. We do not have a department dedicated for these tasks as funding is limited. The town could utilize a communication department to promote events, attract residents, visitors and businesses, then disseminate and receive vital information. There is a solution! Our community rocks! With almost 1,000 volunteers with incredible backgrounds, we can reach out to this group and find folks with expertise in communications to build a superior marketing department to promote the town, send and receive communications about important issues and market our brand for economic development.

ALL available mediums will be used to reach our citizenry. As we may not agree on everything, understanding why decisions are being made, with your input, will build the bridge of trust for everyone without spending a fortune!

Ginny Dickey: There are no shortcuts to building trusting relationships. Saying so doesn’t make it so. We all know this through professional and personal experience, and it is no different in the public arena.

The most effective way to earn trust is through your own historic behavior. This is especially true in a close-knit community such as ours. How respectful, honest and inclusive someone acts in even the smallest of settings is paramount to having faith in them when they have a leadership position.

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve in many capacities, locally and beyond. It’s not that people agree with me all the time, but even my staunchest detractors would be challenged to find an instance where I wasn’t up front. I am an open book, even if you don’t like the story!

Demonstrate that you take your obligations seriously and are not ego-driven or looking for some next step. Give your full attention to the task at hand, large or small.

Genuinely welcome participation and ideas and include all in open communication and process. Then even if you make a decision that is unpopular, your reasons were based on research, input, and what you thought best for the most people.

Colleagues and constituents, regional and business partners, friends and neighbors will have learned they can count on you, and you in turn will rely on them.

David Spelich: In order for government officials to enhance the trust relationship with constituents they must begin to actively listen to them. A recent example of how this has been lacking in our community was the outcome of the property tax vote. To the constituents it appears that town officials are serially incapable of sticking to the given budget and living within the town’s means.

This example shows a lack of competence as well as a deficit in financial probity. When residents have trust in their elected officials they are more likely to invest in their community. Paying a higher tax for the good of the town is much more palatable when residents are provided a clear explanation of what exactly their tax dollars are funding.

I believe that the council and mayor need to take the decision-making process out of town hall and into the community.

The town council and mayor have a vitally important role to play in rebuilding a contract between themselves and the residents. That contract should be based on trust, and it is the responsibility of the mayor and Town Council to earn that trust.

It will take all of us working together with a commitment to face any challenge that will mold the future of Fountain Hills and sustain trust in local government.

Marcus Bulow von Dennewitz: Residents don’t trust our money is being spent appropriately. Many feel frustrated at spending decisions which appear ill-conceived. Example: $12 thousand dollars was transferred from the HURF Street fund to the Downtown Strategy Fund for decorative flags.

The optics of transferring funding from our street fund appears daft when leadership asked the community to support a tax increase whose primary purpose was to support infrastructure improvements such as roads. Over time, decisions like this have eroded trust between the council and the public.

To rebuild that trust an independent audit committee is needed. The committee should be independent from city management and would communicate a true and accurate picture of the town’s finances to the public every year. If elected my mandate would be to work with the council to create such an entity.

Leadership should also communicate funding priorities to the public and report upon achieving specified goals on a quarterly basis. Example, if council identifies road maintenance as a priority: a designated council spokesman should communicate (via the press) progress in achieving the end. Steps like this, I believe, will show the public how their money is being spent and alleviate the public’s mistrust that the council is not making prudent spending decisions.

Gerry Friedel: The best way to enhance or build trust is to listen to the residents of this town. Trust is earned and once lost hard to recover. We have to be sure as government officials we listen, and do what we say we will do. If we ever want to have a tax or fee introduced we have to make sure that the residents understand what it is, how it will be used, and when it will end.

Trust is a confidence placed in us by the residents by making us the stewards of the assets of this town to be used for the benefit of all the residents. When you misuse, or waste these assets then their trust in us is lost and in serious question. The last thing an elected official ever wants to hear is “I should have never trusted them.”

If elected, I will value highly the trust placed in me by our residents. I will use my extensive financial experience to work with the council to build fiscally responsible plans in combination with listening to our residents needs and opinions during the decision making process.

Sharron Grzybowski: Listen: I will listen to the voters. I will listen to fellow council members. Elected officials are not leaders. They are voices for the voters.

Communication: I will communicate with the voters. I will communicate with my fellow Council members. It’s important to communicate our thoughts beyond sitting on the council dais. Quite often I’ll ask a Councilperson why they chose to vote a particular way. Once they have explained their thoughts, even though I don't agree with their vote, I am better able to understand their stance.

Transparency and Trust: I am not a developer, landlord, mortgage broker, property manager, nor career politician. I am not running for the council to be self-serving. I do not have a business agenda, nor do I have an agenda to seek higher office. I’m running because I’m concerned about our town and how it’s being governed.

Once voted into office, I plan to turn my candidate Facebook page into my councilwoman page. I will make sure that residents and business owners better understand my thoughts around why I voted a particular way.

Alan Magazine: We, as public officials, have a responsibility to the citizens who elect us to be as transparent as possible. For some months I have realized that we have, at times, been negligent in that regard. Based on feedback we clearly have a long way to go to regain a trust relationship with our constituents.

During the past year several council decisions (which I have strongly opposed), have eroded that trust. For example, the idea of a lagoon was suddenly thrust on the public (and several council members). Our citizens had no chance to express an opinion before a majority of the council decided to spend $38,000 on a lagoon feasibility study.

Likewise, the public had very little notice prior to a majority of the council voting to spend $95,000 to design wayfinding signs for our town. And the humiliating firing of our town attorney (which ended up costing us $165,000 more than the existing contract) occurred in public prior to any advance notice.

Occasionally our agendas, when released to the public, are not as transparent as they could be. While I do not intend to cast aspersions on my colleagues or staff, we can certainly do better.

I want to encourage our town residents to attend council meetings to let their voices be heard when concerns arise.

We need to have a stronger partnership between our citizens and elected officials to assure transparency of our actions and decisions.

Trust is earned, not bestowed!

Mike Scharnow: Trust has to be earned. It takes commitment and honesty. People like to be heard and acknowledged.

They may not like your answers all the time, but don’t give doublespeak. You walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

One of the main reasons I jumped into this race was because of trust.

I believe that through my nearly 35 years of involvement in this community that I have earned trust among a broad representation of folks – Republicans, Democrats, independents, Christians, non-Christians, Kiwanians, Rotarians and any other label out there.

As long-time editor of The Fountain Hills Times, people came to trust me to accurately print the news and to express my humble opinions through an editorial column.

I’m far from perfect, but I took responsibility when something went awry.

I don’t need to be part of a “team” to attempt to garner public trust. I feel I’ve already earned it through my dedication, work ethic and volunteerism here for three-plus decades.

I’ve held previous administrations and elected officials accountable through the free press, and I intend to carry that thought process as a councilman.

You enhance trust by engaging with constituents and reviewing facts.

This doesn’t equate to agreement. But people can see your motivations, your reasons. You might not vote the way they want, but at least through the transparency they know upfront why you’re doing what you’re doing.

A public servant should be trusted to represent the community as a whole – not just bits and pieces.