Please vote! It is the most effective way to improve our government.

On Oct. 11, those of you who have registered as a Permanent Early Voter will receive a ballot in the mail. The postage is pre-paid. If you have not registered as an early voter, all you have to do is go to your polling location on Nov. 7 to vote. See this website for more information: dmv.org/az-arizona/voter-registration.php

There are only two issues for voters on this special election: Two candidates for the Fountain Hills Sanitary District; support for our Unified School District.

I met the two most qualified candidates for Director of the Fountain Hills Sanitary District: Gregory Dudash and Thomas Reski. Between the two of them, they have 70 years of experience working in sanitary districts. The other two candidates have zero experience. Greg and Tom are excited about continuing to work for us. It is obvious from the way they spoke about their work and their vision for the future.

Please vote for Greg Dudash and Tom Reski!

The other issue is an increase of only 2 percent in the funding of the Fountain Hills Unified School District. But the ballot is confusing because it asks you to vote “Yes or No” for a “budget increase.” That is totally misleading. A “Yes” vote will only increase the existing budget by 2 percent. A “No” vote will eliminate entirely the existing budget of 13 percent over the next three years.

Folks, we are ranked at the bottom of all the states in our country in school funding. However, school administration has maintained the quality of our schools in the top 5 percent in Arizona. Show your support. Vote “Yes” for a 2 percent increase in the School District funding.