In the 1950s, Wisconsin senator Joe McCarthy found a way to get his five minutes of fame. During Congressional hearings, McCarthy waved documents and claimed that the U.S. Army and the U.S. State Department were chock-full of Communists – he knew, because he had the list.

It turns out that the alcoholic McCarthy was a cheap huckster. He made bold charges that brought him short-term attention, but did long-term damage to government institutions and individuals he falsely accused.

The ghost of Joe McCarthy is present in our local politics. Rather than discussing an opponent’s qualifications, Town Council candidate Allen Skillicorn has channeled Joe McCarthy, and accused another Town Council candidate of being a Communist.

At the May 21, 2022, Fountain Hills Republican Club meeting, Skillicorn told the group that there are Communists on Town Council. He claimed that Council candidate Cindy Couture is herself a Communist. Skillicorn pledged to rid Town Council of Communists, and to get all of the Communists out of Fountain Hills. He was applauded by the crowd.

The above summary is based on my watching video of the Republican Club meeting. The video is no longer publicly available on the club’s Facebook account, so precise quotations are not possible.

Local politics have sunk this low! A long-time educator, a retired English teacher from the Fountain Hills school system, is accused of being a Communist by a Chicago-area politician who just moved to Fountain Hills. Skillicorn fled Illinois in 2021 after he was caught in a fraudulent vote scandal, and after he was defeated for reelection.

Skillicorn believes that Chicago-style politics and outrageous charges are the keys to getting elected. Is he right? Does Skillicorn have his own list of Fountain Hills Communists? Will we have McCarthy-style Town Council hearings?

Voters have a choice.