The legacy of the Fountain Hills Sanitary District results from the leadership of Board Chairman Bruce Hansen and District Manager Ron Huber. Both men served this community for 30 years and, with the support of an amazing staff, built the Sanitary District into an operation that our residents are proud of. From the very start, customer service was always paramount. Even more so was the guiding principle that the District serves the community.

I was honored to have worked with Bruce Hansen on the board. I applied to fill a vacancy in 2015 and Bruce provided the first vote toward my appointment. He later said to me (at age 60-plus), “young man, you were the only one to do research on what we do here.”

Bruce was a force of nature. He defined leadership and he molded a vision of community involvement that we still retain at the District. Bruce felt that it was important to work with the town, whenever possible, because both governing bodies are here to serve the public. In his view, we are serving the same taxpayers.

There is no doubt that Bruce Hansen would have supported the idea of the combined infrastructure in Fountain Park, a project that will meet the needs of both the district and the town. The two above-ground well vault control rooms will provide employee safety, while the restrooms will provide much-needed amenities in the park. He would also have utilized the same CMAR construction delivery mechanism that we used, now being criticized by a political opponent who lacks any understanding of Fountain Hills’ community values.

As current board chairman, I am proud to uphold the legacy of community service that we inherited from Bruce Hansen and Ron Huber. Help us honor that legacy by re-electing Butler/Maroon/Thomson.