We will describe the meeting exactly as it unfolded. The Tuesday, Nov. 18, Fountain Hills Town Council session was a disorderly spectacle of historic scale.
The council’s majority — the usual suspects — eliminated public speech by dismantling the formal Call to the Public process. They also approved a measure to make English the town’s official language, despite this already being established in the Arizona Constitution. Brought by censured and sanctioned Councilmember Allen Skillicorn, who’s touted Great Replacement Theory — a racist conspiracy theory — on conservative radio, this resolution reflects a type of political symbolism that aligns with white Christian nationalist themes.
Mayor Gerry Friedel, petulant and irascible as ever, again lost his composure — multiple times — halting the meeting and even ordering residents out of the chambers. While it is true that some new or inexperienced leaders need time to grow into their roles, Friedel — endorsed by ROT — continues to deteriorate. He repeatedly demonstrates an inability to work constructively with the public, displays routine impatience and volatility, and shows a persistent incapacity to manage the room with professionalism or decorum.
There is much to dissect from this deeply troubling meeting. Suffice it to say, the Town Council majority once again — and perhaps to an unprecedented level of disrespect — diminished the town of Fountain Hills. One moment in particular underscores this behavior: a clip of Turning Point employee and Councilmember Hannah Larrabee, who voted to silence residents because she rejects fact-based criticism and dissent. She brazenly characterized the Call to the Public speaking opportunity as a “toy” that she was “taking away.”
To the good people of Fountain Hills, your voice scares this Town Council majority. Today, Fountain Hills, its reputation, and community residents are worse off than yesterday. Elections matter. We cannot afford to make the same mistakes.
