The Fountain Hills Democratic Club held its final meeting of the year on Thursday, Nov. 13, with a program that honored veterans, recognized former Mayor Ginny Dickey and featured presentations on school funding and artificial intelligence.

The meeting opened with a salute to veterans before the club paid tribute to Dickey for her decades of public service and leadership.

Dickey, a New York native who graduated from Tufts University with a mathematics degree, moved to Arizona in the early 1980s. Her public service began locally through the PTA and the Fountain Hills Unified School District, where she served on the school board from 1994 to 2002, including two terms as president.

Her civic involvement included Business and Professional Women — which named her Woman of the Year — the American Association of University Women, the Fountain Hills Community Theater Board, the Valley Citizens League and the Arizona Women’s Political Caucus.

Inducted into the Fountain Hills Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame in 2010, Dickey was recognized by the Arizona Historical Society in 2022 as one of the state’s “48 Most Intriguing Women.”

A co-founder of the FHDC in 1996, she also served as a national convention delegate, precinct and state committee member, vice chair of Legislative District 23, two terms on the town council and three terms as mayor from 2018 to 2024.

Guest speakers Nick Ansel, a staff attorney with the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, and Susan DeGennaro, an artificial intelligence engineer, drew strong interest with their presentations on education funding and emerging technology.

Ansel offered a comprehensive overview of Arizona’s long-standing public-school capital funding challenges, tracing inequities to the mid-1990s

According to Long, Ansel detailed the most recent capital funding lawsuit brought by ACLPI on behalf of school districts, education groups and a taxpayer.

DeGennaro provided an overview of artificial intelligence, discussing its benefits and lesser-known risks, including environmental impacts, concerns about mental well-being, children’s safety and data security.

DeGennaro also described how users can identify AI-generated content and emphasized the growing importance of media literacy. She closed with recommendations for responsible AI use and tips to protect personal information.

The meeting concluded with the election of three FHDC board members: Al Ronca as president, Sharon Ehrlich as hospitality chair and Lisa Weeks as board secretary.

The Fountain Hills Democratic Club will resume monthly meetings in January 2026. More information is available at fhdemclub.org.