NE Valley Times

Fountain Hills town councilman Allen Skillicorn said the actions of the mayor and three other members of the town council show “clearcut election interference” and a disregard for residents.

"If Fountain Hills Mayor Ginny Dickey and Councilmembers Peggy McMahon, Sharron Grzybowski, and Brenda Kalivianakis were truly in favor of free and fair elections, this urban high density development deal would be on the ballot this fall,” Skillicorn said. “These four politicians choose to ram this development through and ignore the voices of hundreds and hundreds of residents. This is clearcut election interference." 

The council recently approved the development of high density urban apartments, an item which was denied by the zoning board in December but brought back by councilmen in January. After the vote in January, a group of residents working under Reclaim Our Town signed a petition, 1800 in total, to have the proposed development put on the November ballot for residents to vote on. 

Fountain Hills rejected the signatures, citing an error with the petition they filed. Members of Reclaim Our Town said they were given the petition materials from the town clerk. 

"We fought hard for the people to have a voice,” Crystal Cavanaugh, chairwoman of Reclaim Our Town said. “None of this would have been necessary without the vote of the 4-Kalivianakis-Dickey-McMahon-Gryzbowski, who voted YES for the HUGE Rezone WITHOUT adequate research or any Concessions for the benefit of the Town. If the Town had worked as hard FOR the People as they did AGAINST us we would be better off.”

“We are exploring our options," she said.