The campaign for Fountain Hills mayor is heating up, as evidenced by many recent letters to the editor and posts on social media.

As “head” of Town Council, the mayor is typically expected to be a “leader,” not a “follower.” Those of you with experience in businesses or other organizations will acknowledge that a good leader has certain qualities. Those qualities include elements that could be described as those of a follower and those elements actually make a person a better leader. When I was alerted to a post attempting to criticize Councilmember and mayoral candidate Gerry Friedel as a “follower,” I was prompted to share my perspective.

If you believe in following common sense principles, does that make you a follower? If you believe in following a commitment to service, does that make you a follower? If you believe that public officials have an obligation to actively seek out the viewpoints of their constituents and put that into practice, does that make you a follower? If you believe in following a commitment to actively support local businesses and service organizations, does that make you a follower?

If you believe that our town should get what we pay for in public safety contracts and actively pursue a resolution, does that make you a follower? If you believe that the town must follow realistic priorities in spending our money (like roads, not roundabouts), does that make you a follower?

If you believe in following common sense and following your legitimate obligations and responsibility to your constituents, are you a follower? Maybe you are, and maybe being a “follower” is really an essential part of being a good leader! In this respect, Gerry Friedel is clearly a good leader and worthy of our support and votes for Mayor on July 30.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.