In a letter in the Fountain Hills Times Independent on Aug. 25, 2023, Nancy Plencner defended and recommended Councilmember Gerry Friedel for mayor. She stated “I’ll tell you what Gerry will not do:…raise taxes…and deficit spend.” It appears Ms. Plencner does not know Councilmember Friedel as well as she thinks she does.

This is due to the fact that, at the council retreat on Feb. 27, 2024, during a discussion on how to provide funding for streets, Councilmember Friedel said, “There’s no question we’re going to need bond help.” That certainly sounds like Councilmember Friedel is okay with raising taxes. In that same letter, Ms. Plencner stated Councilmember Friedel is “a man who will always tell you the truth.”

Regarding deficit spending, I’m puzzled why Ms. Plencner mentioned something that is impossible for the town to do and irrelevant for the position of mayor, unless she was either under-informed about how town finances work, was attempting to conflate a national-level issue into local elections, or both. While deficit spending — which both parties have contributed to at the federal level — is an important issue, it is irrelevant for the town because the town cannot spend more than the revenue it has taken in. Thus, deficit spending by the town is impossible.

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