Choosing Positive Change

Having spent my career guiding organizations through change, I’ve learned to recognize when division and disruption reflect familiar human responses to change itself — uncomfortable but often necessary stages before communities reset priorities and move toward healthier, more effective governance. We are seeing those patterns locally, where policy choices and political messaging advanced by the current Fountain Hills Town Council partisan majority and its affiliated political action committee, Reclaim Our Town (ROT), have fueled division and left residents exhausted by conflict rather than encouraged toward collaboration.

In change work, the first critical stage is awareness — helping people understand what is

happening, why it matters, and how it affects them. When leadership communication prioritizes ideology over inclusion, resistance rises, trust erodes, and division deepens.

The current Town Council majority’s governing approach has contributed to tensions involving our valued local newspaper, severed relationships with community partners such as Republic Services, and financial uncertainty facing the River of Time Museum, a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to preserving Fountain Hills’ history — developments that extend beyond policy debates and into the institutions central to our civic identity.

Yet prolonged division rarely sustains itself when communities remain engaged. Over time, awareness sharpens. Participation increases. Voters seek leadership that restores steadiness, transparency, and shared purpose.

Periods of disruption are uncomfortable and often exhausting — but they are not permanent. Residents have the opportunity to reset the community’s tone and priorities by choosing leadership that strengthens trust and encourages respectful discourse. In a season where political signage may be more visible than ever, it is worth remembering that visibility is not the same as qualification. Meet the candidates. Listen to their ideas and temperament. Substance, judgment, and a genuine commitment to collaboration matter far more than display.  Published Letter to the Editor, Fountain Hills Times Independent