I moved to Fountain Hills in 2017 because I wanted to live in a place that reflected the Midwestern values I was comfortable with — openness, neighborliness and a strong sense of community.
I was also drawn by Arizona’s history of conservative libertarianism, reaching back to Barry Goldwater. That tradition always seemed to mean that Arizona communities like Fountain Hills would welcome people with different views, so long as they shared a love of country and respect for freedom. And, for many years, that’s exactly what I found here.
Recently, however, I have been troubled by the words of Vice Mayor Allen Skillicorn. He has said Fountain Hills should be a “red” town, and in a recent article in the Arizona Republic, he stated he “takes pride in helping move the ball forward” when it comes to making Fountain Hills more MAGA and Republican.
