OPINION – As 2026 begins, it is important to reflect on the direction taken by the Fountain Hills Town Council in the past year — and to be clear about who bears responsibility for a period marked by unnecessary division, reputational harm and misplaced priorities.
The council majority — Friedel, Skillicorn, Larrabee, Earle and Watts — advanced a series of actions aligned with the political action committee Reclaim Our Town (ROT) that did little to address the town’s real needs while eroding civic trust and damaging the town’s in-state reputation.
Among the most consequential decisions were the ban on DEI initiatives, despite the town having no formal DEI programs or policies in place; the symbolic declaration of English as the town’s official language, and restrictions on public comment that curtailed residents’ ability to speak freely at their own council meetings. These actions addressed no pressing problem while reiterating an unmistakable message of exclusion rather than community.
