OPINION – Allen Skillicorn says the Fountain Hills Town Council is doing what voters asked them to do. He recently told the Arizona Republic that “a majority of the town” was asking for a statue of Charlie Kirk. To be sure, enacting the will of the populace is a founding principle of democracy, unless it's used as a mandate broad enough to cover everything from banning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from town government to importing national culture wars.
On Nov. 17, Councilmember Skillicorn posted a photo on X of the Republican Club's Christmas tree, locating it in the “Charlie Kirk Freedom Center.” Even though Skillicorn's proposed name change died on the dais, he felt entitled to singlehandedly rename the Community Center after Kirk? There's a nifty presto chango! Charlie Kirk — free speech proponent or not — fused a version of Christianity with governmental authority. He described DEI as “unbiblical.” In his later years, Kirk promoted patriotism merged with the Christian religion.
Fountain Hills didn’t vote to funnel religious and political messaging into routine civic functions. Fountain Hills never asked to change the name of the Community Center to the Charlie Kirk Freedom Center. We never imagined replacing community identity with ideological branding. We did not elect, nor do we need, councilmembers whose mission is to elevate divisive figures like Charlie Kirk. Skillicorn camouflages polarizing, offensive proposals in a glibly false soundbite.
