Councilmember Skillicorn tangles with MCSO over signs

Posted Thursday, November 30, 2023 3:25 pm

By Bob Burns

The Times Independent has obtained a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) report of an incident involving Fountain Hills Town Councilman Allen Skillicorn and town Code Enforcement Officer Pete Lucchese that occurred in September.

The body cam video of the incident from the deputy was also included in the release acquired by The Times Independent through a public records request.

MCSO Deputy Limb reported he had just returned to his vehicle parked on Avenue of the Fountains in front of Town Hall when Lucchese pulled alongside driving a town vehicle and requested his help. Lucchese reported he was being followed by a driver who was flashing his lights and following closely behind. Limb reported Lucchese told him he believed the driver had been attempting to get him to stop, however, for safety reasons he chose to drive to the MCSO substation.

By the time Limb got out of his vehicle with the body cam activated, a second vehicle had pulled up nearby. Limb described the driver’s approach to Lucchese at a “quick pace and loud, aggressive tone.” The driver, identified as Councilman Skillicorn, approached the vehicle Lucchese was driving and attempted to open the rear door, according to Limb’s report. Skillicorn could be heard on the video telling Limb “My signs are stolen,” which he believed were in Lucchese’s vehicle. Lucchese reportedly asked Skillicorn to step back from the truck and he opened the rear door, at which time Skillicorn identified a political sign Lucchese had collected for being illegally placed in the right-of-way, as belonging to him because it had a small tracking device attached.

Both Limb and Lucchese verified Skillicorn’s identity, and the sign was returned to him. Lucchese explained the reason he had removed the sign, which had been located along Fountain Hills Boulevard near Shea Boulevard. He stated that although the sign was along Fountain Hills Boulevard, it was located within the Shea right-of-way, which at that location is 160 feet from the edge of the roadway. The sign code prohibits all temporary signs from the right of way along Shea Boulevard, except where adjoining property is zoned for commercial.

Early on in the encounter, Lucchese presents photos of the sign’s placement and explains that it was improperly placed, to which Skillicorn responds, “You guys are really skating on thin ice.”

Lucchese continues, saying Skillicorn was driving aggressively behind him. Skillicorn responds, “Yeah, I flashed my high beams and you didn’t stop.” Moments later, Lucchese describes it as, “…You were driving me down like you’re going to do something to me.”

Deputy Limb asked Skillicorn multiple times if he was trying to get Lucchese to stop, eventually adding, “it’s a yes or no question.” Skillicorn responded “No.” Deputy Limb further questioned, “Then why were you flashing your lights at him and everything, while you were driving?” Skillicorn answered, “I was curious if he was going to stop.”

Deputy Limb continued to press the matter, asking “Why were you trying to get him to stop?”

Skillicorn responded, “Because I saw the iTag (tracker)...”

Deputy Limb said, “…Thank you for admitting you were trying to get him to stop while you were both driving, you have no authority to do that.”

Skillicorn stated he was not driving aggressively in the encounter, to which Deputy Limb said, “You already lied to me once about why you said you weren’t trying to get him to stop, so your credibility with me is kind of out the window right now…It doesn’t matter to me who you are, if you break the law, you break the law…Everyone has to abide by the same laws.”

Skillicorn replied, “Yep, I get that.”

Limb added, “Don’t get mad at this gentleman (Lucchese) because you broke a law the council you sit on set up.”

Limb’s report states that Lucchese and Skillicorn “calmly discussed (Skillicorn’s) political sign and the town regulations regarding the placement of such political signs,” and why Lucchese removed it.

“I’m actually relieved it was you (who removed it) and not some stranger,” Skillicorn is heard to say to Lucchese. “A stranger is not going to be as reasonable.”

When asked by The Times Independent to respond to the incident Skillicorn wrote, “When I ran for Town Council, I promised to repeal the unconstitutional sign ordinance, and after 10 months of work, I’m proud to say we got the job done. The law is much clearer now, which hopefully means it will be fairly and consistently enforced. As a public official, I swore an oath to uphold our Constitution and I will always vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”

The Times Independent made a public records request to the town regarding a report Lucchese wrote to his supervisor regarding the incident. The town provided a redacted version of the report that included information related to the location of the sign that was removed and photos Lucchese had taken. The Times Independent reached out to Lucchese for a comment, but was unable to reach him by press time.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Bob Burns can be reached at bburns@iniusa.org.