A note to our readers/voters:

How does the old saying go?

Was it “vote early, vote often?”

Well, they may have well said it about you, Ahwatukee Foothills residents, because that’s exactly what you did.

As we put the finishing touches on this year’s Ahwatukee Foothills News Best of 2009 special edition, we were awestruck by how invigorated you, our readers, were toward this year’s contest.

Fourteen-thousand and sixty-two, 14,062! That’s how many times you voted this year — a clear record by any estimation for this annual showcase. That also included a record 3,000-plus ballots on the first day of voting alone.

We’ve been producing this special Best Of section annually for longer than any of us here at the AFN can truly remember, and we can promise it was well before the existence of ahwatukee.com that you started telling us what businesses and individuals you wanted to honor each year.

Every year, first through the old paper ballots you used to ink up and mail to us, and, more recently, exclusively through online voting at ahwatukee.com, turnout has steadily increased. But we’ve never seen a response like this. Some of us liken it to the continued rise of the Internet, and your support of our efforts to break news, produce multimedia content, and provide special features at ahwatukee.com.

Derek Miller, owner of Grass Guys, winners of this year’s “Best Landscaping/Yard Service” category, thinks there’s more to it.

“Maybe it’s an indication of the economy,” Miller points out, adding that we all seem so consumed by getting value for every last dollar — and understandably so — that we’ve jumped at the chance to try give something back to — our votes — those businesses and local individuals that work so hard for us year-round.

Whatever the reason, we’re glad you participated, and can’t wait to see another record turnout next year. We thank you for your annual participation, and we can assure you the businesses you voted for are grateful as well!

Enjoy this year’s edition, and don’t forget, you can find everything you see here in this commemorative edition online year-round at ahwatukee.com.

— Ahwatukee Foothills News / ahwatukee.com staff

The Ahwatukee Foothills News reserves the right to qualify all entries for eligibility. Voters will be required to enter their name, phone number and a valid email address in order to submit their vote. Voter information will not be used for publication; it is necessary for the AFN’s internal records only. Limit one vote per person per day. Any names we determine to be duplicated within a 24-hour period or any email addresses that are false will be disqualified. If a business is going to set up a voting station, it must have official approval from the AFN and register its IP address for tracking purposes at www.ahwatukee.com/best_of/registration. The station must be located at the place of business and votes must be cast during regular business hours. As we audit our votes, if we determine a business is unfairly padding the vote, they will receive one warning. Upon the second infraction, they will be disqualified from the Best of contest entirely. For questions regarding Best of Ahwatukee voting, please contact Kent Johnson, Ahwatukee Foothills News publisher, at kjohnson@ahwatukee.com.