NE Valley Times

Fountain Hills Councilman Allen Skillicorn filed a lawsuit against Mayor Ginny Dickey and the town of Fountain Hills, claiming repeated violations of his civil rights. 

"Our right to free speech has been targeted because I disagree with the mayor and her allies," Skillicorn said in a press release. "Political disagreements are not an excuse to punish free speech. Unfortunately, the only way to stop the violation of our rights is to file a lawsuit in Federal Court."

"This lawsuit will show there is no justification for the heavy-handed actions taken by the town," he said. "We will use the election interference case, the secret personal emails to the developer, and the Constitution itself to prove our case and stop the weaponization of town government in Fountain Hills. It is my hope this case will not only end the unfair sanctions but will also end the abuse of power in town hall."

In September of 2023, Fountain Hills high school football coach Gary Zauner posted a video urging residents to vote yes on a referendum placed on the upcoming November ballot. As the video was taken on school property, a publicly funded entity, Skillicorn called for the video to be taken down as it violated laws regarding the use of taxpayer funds in elections. 

A lawsuit was filed against the town of Fountain Hills and all members of the council for actions regarding a proposed rezoning of a mall to become a proposed apartment complex. During the discussions of the project at council meetings, Skillicorn questioned whether members of the council needed to abstain from the vote because of any personal connections to the developer. Ethics complaints were filed against Skillicorn for his questions, but residents Carol Rogala, Liz GIldersleeve and Barbara Russo filed ethics complaints against vice mayor Brenda Kalivainakis for having private conversations with the developer before the council meeting. 

Skillicorn was sanctioned by the town of Fountain Hills in March after complaints of Skillicorn violating the Code of Ethics. The sanctions imposed on him by a split vote in the council meant he could not be vice-mayor, utilize taxpayer money for travel or events, or meet physically with workers unless a third party is present. 

The case, filed in federal court at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, is Allen Skillicorn v. Ginny Dickey, an individual, Brenda J. Kalivianakis, an individual, Sharron Grzybowski, an individual, Peggy McMahon, an individual, Tina Vannucci, an individual, Town of Fountain Hills, an Arizona municipal corporation.