This week The Times is asking the candidates for the Fountain Hills Sanitary District Board of Directors a third and final question.

How would you recommend enhancing communication between the Sanitary District Board and the Town Council on issues of common interest?

Tom Reski - While the Sanitary District and the Town of Fountain Hills are two separate governmental bodies, we both serve for the benefit of the residents of Fountain Hills.

In the past few months, we have hired a new FH sanitary district manager and with her appointment, we have asked her to make a concerted effort to reach out to the town and establish a new solid working relationship with our town staff. To that end, Dana Trompke has recently spoken with Grady Miller, the town manager and they have agreed to meet at least quarterly to discuss matters of construction projects and topics of mutual concern between the two governmental bodies.

Further, Dana will be sending to the town manager, our monthly meeting agendas and meeting minutes and we have requested of him to do the same in return.

It will also be our intention that the sanitary district chairman meets at least annually with the town mayor and any available town council members to exchange thoughts and concerns in order to avoid potential misunderstandings with respect to Fountain Hills topics of mutual concerns.

These steps in communications are just a start but will be the foundation upon which our new FH Sanitary District manager will build her professional relationship with the town management for the next 30 years.

Scott Sommer – At the Meet the Candidate Forum it was apparent that there is a significant opportunity for the Town Council and the Sanitary District to work together to improve communications. It became apparent that communication has come to a standstill. Dispatching letters and email back and forth has unfortunately done very little to strengthen communication.

I am encouraged to hear that the district manager and town manager have committed to establishing quarterly meetings, this is great progress and I commend their efforts. It is imperative for the policy makers to establish a similar communication strategy, to ensure all the key decision makers are aligned.

My recommendation is to have both organizations hold joint meetings on a quarterly basis to discuss shared issues and future goals of the town as a unified front. Rules of engagement and expectations need be established collectively. Both boards will need to provide consistent representation at each other’s meetings. Through this, issues and challenges will have a more prompt opportunity to be addressed.

I firmly believe that the residents of Fountain Hills deserve to have a leadership team working on their behalf. The existing culture will not change without a new approach to communication.

Additionally, there is no room for advancement of personal agendas. As a Fountain Hills business owner, I have a vested interest in the success of this town. Through my involvement in local service organizations and my previous experience as a project manager, I have a proven track record of bringing people together to solve problems.

Now is the time to put differences aside, and focus on the future vitality of our town; including the development of the State Trust Land, improving irrigation water quality, and providing better transparency. I will fight for this when I earn your vote on Nov. 7.

Gregg Dudash - Clear communication is essential in maintaining successful relationships. The Sanitary District Board seeks to better communicate with the Town Council on issues of common interest. We share a love of this town and its namesake fountain.

We provide the town with free Class A+ effluent that is used in the lake and for irrigating town parks. We work together for the betterment of our community.

Historically, the District has helped with odor complaints, hired an engineering consultant in 2010 to study Fountain Lake water quality, and formed a joint study group with the Town in 2011 to make recommendations as to what should be done to improve lake water quality.

District staff recently helped move a shed from Kiwanis to the Community Garden, as we are the only ones with equipment large enough to do so.

Effective communication made these efforts possible.

Our new district manager is exploring opportunities to further improve communications with the Town. Working with the town manager, the two will meet quarterly to coordinate on specific issues and projects. Plans have also been made to meet quarterly with the town engineer and the town public works director. Our goal is to enhance communication and cooperation on matters of mutual interest.

To even further improve communication at the executive level, I have recommended that our board chairman meet annually with the mayor. I have further recommended that both governing boards exchange information on their respective public meetings. The District will provide our monthly agenda and approved minutes of the previous board meeting to the Town Council and they would provide the same to us.

This is a simple method for exchanging important information at no cost. Successful communication will always be a two-way street. I am committed to making that happen and respectfully ask for your vote.

Tony Finocchio – One of my first objectives, when elected to the board, will be to establish strong ties of communication with the Town Council and identify our common interests. I believe the quality of the Fountain Park, and the need to prioritize how we jointly work to improve the water quality, is one of our top priorities. The attitude of the incumbent board members running for office is that the park, including the lake, is the town’s problem. WRONG ATTITUDE.

Every board member is responsible to the taxpayers of this community, and the water quality is critical to our town’s reputation and quality of life. It’s irresponsible to just dismiss the issues and make public comments that these problems are not the responsibility of the Sanitary Board.

Working together on these common interests of all residents, is in everyone’s best interest. I expect that the voters want cooperation. I will provide that leadership.

At the last Sanitary Board meeting I attended, it was discussed how terrible the water quality is, that is pumped from the Sanitary District and distributed to the local golf courses. It is an important common interest to insure the local golf courses are provided with the highest quality water, in order to grow the best grass for play. This directly affects our tourism dollars and the sales tax revenues for our community. This issue needs to be resolved.

I will attend council meetings and reach out to town leadership as a director. My goal is to be accessible and accountable to all residents and businesses. The town boards cannot perform in a “Silo” mentality. I believe that both bodies have an obligation to the people that put them into these important offices.

It is time for a change and I ask for your vote.