Last December, as I stepped down as a council member, I vowed that I would not write letters to the editor or testify before council. Unfortunately, I must break that promise.

I was shocked to learn that our Town Manager, Grady Miller, will retire in June. I have served 16 years as an elected official and worked with six county and town managers. None held a candle to Grady. So, why is he leaving?

We have three new council members and one incumbent who have made it impossible for him to do his job in a professional manner. Even though all but one have no previous experience in Fountain Hills, they seem determined to undo previous decisions and policies without thinking through the consequences.

Examples: Since Jan. 2 and during their very first council meeting, they decided, without staff input, to eliminate the entire sign ordinance which had been vetted by staff and previous councils. They were then forced to rescind the action because of possible legal action.

Then they fired the long-time town lobbyist, claiming they could “do their own lobbying” despite having no experience dealing with the legislature. That allowed them to beat their chests because they could save the taxpayers $20,000 a year, perhaps sufficient to fill a few potholes! Our lobbyist, working with other city and town lobbyists, has saved our town millions of dollars by fighting off legislation that would not be in our town’s best interest. There are other examples.

On top of these harebrained decisions, Councilman Skillicorn has recommended eliminating the sales tax on food and the renters tax, which would cost the town $4 million.

They have done all of this in their first two months in office. If these kinds of decisions continue, this town is in serious trouble.