Fountain Hills sanctions 'bully' council member, orders him to get a chaperone
Fountain Hills City Council sanctioned Councilmember Allen Skillicorn, barring him from the council’s vice mayor position, removing tax-dollar funding for him to participate in meetings and events, and mandating he have a monitor any time he interacts with a town employee in person.
In February, Skillicorn was found in violation of Fountain Hills City Council Code of Ethics by a third-party investigating law firm, Fitzgibbons Law Offices. Investigators state in the reports that Skillicorn’s actions on two separate occasions violated multiple sections of the council’s ethics guidelines.
During the March 19 regular council meeting, multiple members of the Fountain Hills community spoke out on how they would like to see Skillicorn’s violations handled. The testimonies they shared, however, were polarizing. Some people were strongly in support of Councilmember Skillicorn, others were not.
This tension was evident in the council’s vote of four members in favor of the censure and sanctions, one member against, and one member refusing to vote. Skillicorn did not speak during the council’s discussion, and could not vote.
"In my opinion, and the opinion of the council majority, Allen Skillicorn has behaved like a bully. He has embarrassed the town by flouting the very code of ethics he swore to uphold when he took office. The council reluctantly did what had to be done," said Councilmember Brenda Kalivianakis.
Skillicorn declined comment following the decision but maintained in his most recent news release that he believes this to be a “partisan political hit job” and that “the arrogance of this administration should concern every citizen in our community.”
Councilmember Kalivianakis, as well as Vice Mayor Sharron Grzybowski, authored ethics complaints against Skillicorn earlier this year relating to an interaction he had with a Fountain Hills City Code Enforcement officer in September of 2023. The incident is detailed in a report filed with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department.
The report recounts how Skillicorn had aggressively followed code enforcement officer, Pete Lucchese, in an attempt to retrieve his political sign. Lucchese had picked up the sign for violating City Council-approved codes. Using a tracking device attached to the sign Skillicorn followed Lucchese, while flashing his high beam lights, to the nearest police station.
More: Investigators: Fountain Hills councilmember violated 4 ethics rules
The issue was resolved with the sign being returned to Skillicorn.
Investigators found that Skillicorn’s handling of the situation with Lucchese was in violation of four sections of the council’s Code of Ethics; sections 8.2, 8.3, 8.4(A), and 8.6(B). The report states that Skillicorn’s actions do not set “a positive example of good citizenship by scrupulously observing the letter and spirit of laws, rules and regulations,” contrary to section 8.2 of the Code of Ethics.
Additionally, investigators cited Skillicorn for violating sections 8.4(A), and 8.6(B) in a second report relating to his comments and questions during a January regular council meeting. In her second ethics complaint against Skillicorn, Grzybowski recounted the meeting's events.
During the January regular meeting, the council was discussing a possible developer for a project in the community. Skillicorn made it a point to repeatedly ask his fellow council members if they had any conversations with developers outside of what was necessary for the proposal or received campaign funds from the developer.
Investigators stated in the report, “Councilman Skillicorn implies that members of the council have had inappropriate conversations with the developer and or taken campaign contributions from the developer and, therefore, the process related to this development is unfair and not transparent.”
In his recent release, Skillicorn defended his actions on both occasions that he has been cited for. He alleged that the town had secretly changed how it enforced sign laws and that he had simply asked tough questions during that January meeting.
Skillicorn concluded his release stating, “This effort is all about trying to silence me. That will not happen. I will not back down. I will not be silent. I will continue telling the truth!”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fountain Hills sanctions 'bully' council member, orders chaperone
