Little did I know it would come to this in Fountain Hills. It’s not a secret that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Grease is good, most of the time.

But what if the squeaky wheel is just that, a squeaky wheel not needing immediate attention? What if the wheel is deflecting from real problems? Brakes are bad? Suspension is damaged? Engine oil leaking?  Or what if the grease is wrong for the wheel?

Needlessly divisive individuals and their fans on the town council are the squeaky wheels. They have no real ideas, they just want to squeak. They don’t address our town’s problems, they just want to squeak. A year and a half after coming on the scene claiming to fix the roads and bring in business, roads still need fixing, and business growth is…a new drive-through coffee shop?

Prejudicial comments from some of them can only drive business and families away. Boasts of tiny budget cuts don’t solve a $60 million roads problem. All I hear are squeaks. Schools want me to give up my weekly latte? Squeak! Someone wants us to agree to a cleaner environment? Squeak! Why can’t we hide those people without a roof over their head? Squeak!

We need more problem solvers, not squeakers. Happy New Year to all, and hopes that the problem solvers are victorious in 2024.

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