While we’ve had more contentious Town Council races with much more divergent views, it’s still important to vote in this current mail-in election and help set the direction and plans for our town’s future.

We feel Fountain Hills would best be served in that regard by three candidates running for Town Council – incumbent Councilman Henry Leger along with Nick DePorter and Alan Magazine.

DePorter and Magazine are both quite familiar with the issues facing Fountain Hills as key members of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission. SPAC, a think tank of sorts for the town, is keenly aware of the town’s budget situation, revenue projections, how local government works and the need to be proactive in terms of economic development, tourism and the like. We feel they are independent thinkers who will rise above partisan politics to do what’s best for the Town of Fountain Hills and its many levels of local services.

Leger has more than proven himself over the years as a man of reason, collaboration and preparation. Fountain Hills voters have kept him in office for eight years, and they would be well served by keeping him on the dais for another four.

At the legislative level, we urge votes for John Kavanagh for state Senate and incumbent Michelle Ugenti and challenger Jay Lawrence for the House.

While we had our differences with Rep. Kavanagh this past year on his proposed changes to public notice regulations, he remains a well-informed legislator whose experience on the Senate side would serve our district and state well.

Seeking her third term, Ugenti remains emblematic of the majority of conservative voters in the Northeast Valley, and newcomer Jay Lawrence is certainly no newcomer to Fountain Hills. He’s worked many years in our community and was a conservative voice for a long time on news talk radio.

While we normally don’t get involved in statewide races, we feel Michele Reagan would make a reputable secretary of state. She admirably served this district both in the House and the Senate, and she has a solid grasp of voter registration, elections, record keeping and other duties associated with that office.