Looks like everyone survived intact this historic Fountain Hills election – historic because it’s the first time we’ve had a Town Council election during the summer due to law changes enacted by the Arizona Legislature (and originally opposed by the town).

Nonetheless, we have our winners and no need for a runoff in November. Mayor Linda Kavanagh was unopposed, and Town Councilman Henry Leger was re-elected to an unprecedented third term. Newcomers Nick DePorter and Alan Magazine will take their seats in early December, as they defeated the only other candidate, Lina Bellenir.

Ginny Dickey and Tait Elkie chose not to run again.

While this wasn’t a particularly “sexy” or divisive election, it was still an important race. There aren’t really any nagging hugely controversial issues at this time, but it does seem as if everyone is focused on our business community and what can be done to reinvigorate it. There are some varying differences of opinion on how to accomplish that. Since the Town of Fountain Hills doesn’t have a dedicated property tax for operational expenses, town government more or less lives and dies by the ebb and flow of the economy – amount of state-shared revenues, sales tax income, new construction fees and the like.

We’re confident that both DePorter and Magazine, given their backgrounds and work on the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission, will bring some valuable experience to the short- and long-term goals as set by the Town Council.