Those seeking a seat on the Fountain Hills Town Council will get to campaign through the summer for the first time leading up to the Tuesday, Aug. 26, primary election.

The mayor’s job and the seats of three council members are at stake for this election cycle, and as of last week the names of those appearing on the ballot became official.

In this edition The Times is providing a background profile and a reason each candidate is seeking the office.

Mayor Linda Kavanagh was elected in 2012 and is seeking her second term as mayor and she will walk into that second term unchallenged.

Kavanagh says volunteerism and community service have always been important parts of her life.

“From volunteering as an ambulance attendant in N.Y.C. while a teenager (where I met my husband) through membership in scores of service, civic and town organizations and committees in Fountain Hills and in my present role as your mayor, I believe in giving back to the community. And I want to continue to do so, which is why I am running for re-election as mayor.”

Kavanagh moved to Fountain Hills in 1993 with my husband of 38 years, John, and our two children, Jonathan and Nicholas.

She is a published author, A+ certified computer repair technician, graphic designer and unpaid director of constituent services for her husband, State Representative John Kavanagh.

She earned a BA degree cum laud in English and Education from Queens College of the City of New York. She was inducted into the Lower Verde River Valley Hall of Fame in 2009, was made a Special Deputy Captain with the Maricopa County Sheriffs’ Department.

She is or was a member of many civic organizations, including the American Legion Auxiliary, FH Cultural & Civic Association, FHIDO (formerly ADOG,) FH Republican Club, PTO, Falcon Boosters, Sister Cities Foundation, Arizona Latino Republican Association, Library Association, Friend of the Chamber (past chair), McDowell Park Association and Chamber Ambassadors (past chair).

“As your mayor, I am a member of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and its Economic Development Committee and the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC),” Kavanagh said. “I have also helped raise money for many local organizations including the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Posse, Falcon Athletics, Team Rychard, and the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum. I am a strong advocate for animal rights and helped write bills for animal protection.”

Incumbent Councilman Henry Leger has served eight years on the Town Council and is asking voters to support him for a third term.

Leger has been a resident of Fountain Hills for 22 years. Besides his council post he also serves as a board member for Senior Services, Inc., and is a member of several community organizations.

Originally from Massachusetts, Leger moved to Arizona in 1970 to attend the University of Arizona where he received his Master’s Degree.

“I have worked as a professional in the field of leadership and organizational development for 25 years,” Leger said. “Throughout my career, I held a number of leadership positions in education and government work settings. I also worked as an internal consultant for Fortune 500 companies. I am now retired from that field.”

Leger and his wife, Janet have two daughters, Kristin and Marisa. Marisa graduated this May from Fountain Hills High School and is enrolled at the University of Arizona. Kristin, a graduate of Fountain Hills High School and the University of Arizona, has been accepted and will be serving in the Peace Corps. Janet is an active volunteer in the community and enjoys her long-standing professional career at CVS Caremark.

“I am seeking re-election to continue to serve the community that my family and I love and care deeply for. During my two terms of service, council members and staff have accomplished much. I’m proud to have contributed to these accomplishments,” Leger said. “However, there remains much to be done to advance our town’s vision and to address future challenges. In a nut shell, there is unfinished business that I would like to be part of.

“I believe my council experience will be valuable in helping to move our community forward, addressing challenges while sustaining the quality of life we have come to enjoy. I am enthusiastic about the possibility of continuing my role in public service as a council member.”

Lina Bellenir ran previously for Fountain Hills Town Council in 2008 and was unsuccessful.

Bellenir states she is building her campaign on a platform that stresses economic development, preservation, smaller more open and responsive government and family values.

She and her husband, Vince have lived in Fountain Hills for 14 years and are formerly from Michigan. Together they have four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

“As an immigrant from Italy arriving in the United States at the age of four I am immensely grateful for the opportunities America has provided to my family,” Bellenir said. “That is why for many years I served as secretary of the American Italian Cultural Society/Columbus Day Celebration Committee.”

She said this provided an opportunity for her to participate in activities promoting the elimination bias, prejudice, or discrimination affecting all Americans.

Bellenir has council experience serving as councilwoman in the City of Gibraltar, Mich. She fought against ever increasing property taxes, and worked to enact updated procedures and systems to assure the accurate processing of property assessments for residents saving thousands.

After moving to Fountain Hills Bellenir and her husband ventured into business by opening a “boutique winery,” Sorelliʼs from the Vine, a unique “one of a kind” establishment where customers enjoyed the process of making, bottling, corking and labeling their

very own custom labeled wine. The business earned many awards including the Phoenix New Times “Best of” recognition in 2003.

Bellenir has served on the Tourism Board and the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission assisting in promoting while protecting the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and their generous network of hiking, biking and equestrian trails.

“As Fountain Hills residents we can enjoy these trails and the desert can start in mere minutes, and tourism allows us to share the tremendous beauty around us while adding revenue for our town,” Bellenir said.

She has more than 40 years of sales/marketing experience in the corporate world working for two Fortune 500 companies Gould Inc. and Raychem Corporation, as well as, Awareness Corporation.

Upon completing a specialized paralegal program offered by American Institute she worked for the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Unit, and more recently the Maricopa County Sheriffʼs Office Inmate Legal Services Department retiring in July, 2013.

“I bring to the table the aforementioned experience, and I am prepared for the challenges facing our community,” Bellenir said. “Fountain Hills population has decreased during the recession, causing businesses to close, leaving fewer students in schools and decreasing the townʼs share of state-shared revenues.

“The Adero Canyon development is a major step forward ensuring population growth.

“I am an ordinary citizen with a deep-seated belief that much of what troubles us has been caused by politicians; and its time that more ordinary citizens bring the ‘fresh air of common sense thinking’ to bear on our problems.”

Nick DePorter had an unsuccessful campaign for Town Council in 2012 when he ran as a relative newcomer. He made it into the runoff and finished just behind Council members Dennis Brown and Cecil Yates.

DePorter is 37 years old and has lived in Fountain Hills for four years. He works at Arizona State University where he is responsible for strategic employer development for all four campus locations.

“I lead a team that is responsible for partnering with corporations, non-profits and governmental agencies on behalf of ASU,” DePorter said. “We provide these partners a connection to the University for research, recruitment and philanthropic investment opportunities.”

He has previously held leadership roles in admissions, community relations, operations and business development at the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU and also served as Director of Admissions and Student Services at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

He currently volunteers time as Vice Chair of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (SPAC) for the town, and is a board member for the Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association and as board chair of the Health & Human Services Board for the Arizona community development organization CPLC.

He also served on the Citizens for Saguaro Road Bond Committee and the Friends of Fountain Hills School Bond Committee, both of which successfully passed.

“I want to serve on Town Council because I want to represent families in our community. We need more venues and activities for our local children and to help attract young families to our Town,” DePorter said. “Fountain Hills is my home and I have a unique and broad perspective of the varied needs and desires that make up the residents of our great community.

“Both my parents and in-laws have retired in Fountain Hills, and my wife and I are raising our 3-year-old son and 3-month-old daughter here. Although I am focused on families, I will always represent both families and retirees in our community and want to leverage my business development knowledge and experience to benefit our great town.

“I am open and happy to meet with any citizen or group that wants to discuss the opportunities and issues facing our town which will help me make the most informed decisions as your council representative.”

DePorter has information and can be contacted at www.facebook.com/NickForTownCouncil

This is Alan Magazine’s first foray into elected politics in Fountain Hills, but he is not a stranger to the workings of the town government. He has served on the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission and is current chairman of that board.

An eight-year resident of Fountain Hills Magazine has a bachelor’s degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. He received his MPA at Kent State University in Ohio and his PhD from the University of Maryland.

Magazine served eight years on the Fairfax County, Va. Board of supervisors. His professional work experience has been focused in the Washington, D.C. area where he was president and CEO of the Health Industry Manufacturers Association, Founding president and CEO for the Council on Competitiveness, executive director of the Business-Higher Education Forum, director for Intergovernmental Relations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, national policy coordinator for the International City Management Association, and a senior consultant for Real Estate Research Corp.

He currently serves on the board of directors for Aerolase Corp.

Magazine has additional experience on numerous boards and commissions.

“I love this town and want to see it prosper,” Magazine said. “But we must be clear eyed about the challenges we face. Demographic changes in Fountain Hills raise significant questions about our present and future direction.

“We have lost population. Average age has increased 10 years according to the latest Census. The number of people 65 of age and older has increased 61 percent and we’ve lost school age children each of the last 15 years.

“As Chairman of the town’s Strategic Planning Advisory Commission I have been deeply involved in the advocacy of an economic development plan for the town. The plan’s goals are to encourage small business owners to recognize the great quality of life here, and thus live and locate their businesses here. Hopefully this would result in a higher wage base as well as population diversity for Fountain Hills.

“As a member of Council I would hope to have more influence over the directions we take as a town.”