I met the most interesting stranger the other week. It was at an art fair in Sedona. We fell into talking about local government and local business failures, only to discover we were both from the same town, fabulous Fountain Hills!

It turns out I was talking to Alan Magazine who, simultaneously, is a former top government executive, businessman, city planner and award-winning photographer.

The problem up until now, not just with Fountain Hills but everywhere in Arizona, is the complete dependency on retail business in the face of a limited population growth.

Fountain Hills lost at least 2000 people during the current recession. Retail building permits were based on a projected population of 30,000 by 2014. The town granted permits projected off that number. That didn’t happen and what jobs we did get were minimum wage.

Talk to the young people working here in stores. Without fail, most are not from here. In order to get enough minimum-wage workers, employers must recruit kids from the Valley. What dollars they do make, they take with them.

Alan wants to take this town in a different direction. Instead of ruminating over why we can’t keep service operations functional, Alan believes the solution lies in attacking the problem from the opposite direction.

Given Fountain Hills’ outstanding quality of life, he believes we should be making a concerted effort to attract small- to middle-sized companies, employing the type of worker who can afford to live here. And by living here, enrich and balance our community by bringing in youth that ensures the long-term survival of this community.

Alan’s recent career has exposed him to many new concepts in city planning. Here’s a talented, polite, thoughtful man who can, and will, make a difference in Fountain Hills. Please consider voting for Alan.