Glendale City Council hired Gilbert’s town manager, Patrick Banger, who created the town’s censorship department.
Banger will receive base compensation of $400,000, subject to adjustments based on factors including performance, the market, and cost of living. This makes Banger one of the highest-paid administrators in the Valley, not including the other perks that come with the position.
The city’s human resources and risk management director, Jim Brown, said they settled on Banger after undertaking a “nationwide search.” The current city manager, Kevin Phelps, intends to retire.
Council member and Alhambra Elementary School District member Jose “Lupe” Conchas Jr. said Banger aligned with their values of commitment to growth and serving residents with distinction. Councilmember Bart Turner, who has been accused of walking in lockstep with Conchas, was reportedly advocating “hard” for Banger.
“This vote isn’t just about selecting a new city manager, it’s about the future of Glendale for the next decades to come,” said Conchas. “I’m confident that Mr. Banger’s leadership will help us continue the path forward.”
Banger will assume the city manager position on January 12 of next year. Banger will depart Gilbert after 15 years with the town.
Banger beat out one other top candidate, Vicki Rios, Glendale’s assistant city manager and a longtime resident. Rios is credited with the city’s “dramatic financial turnaround” after she saved the city from bankruptcy upon entering the administration in 2013 by refinancing debt and building up cash reserves.
Behind the scene, conservative council members and city residents have vowed to keep Banger in line when it comes to aligning with Glendale values — and not importing those of New York.
AZ Free Newsreported last year that Banger credited former Democratic New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as his inspiration for town management, and caused his creation of the Office of Digital Government (ODG).
“One of the things that I’d been doing for quite some time is following what Mayor Bloomberg was doing in New York,” said Banger.
ODG was a department within Gilbert that monitored the online speech of employees and elected officials to ensure alignment with progressive ideologies. Department salaries cost the town over $1.1 million annually.
The former lead of ODG hired by Banger, Dana Berchman, resigned following reporting on ODG activity. Berchman now runs a communications firm, Oh, hi! Communications.
While managing Gilbert, Banger oversaw a $2.2 billion annual budget and nearly 2,000 employees. Banger is credited with generating nearly $400 million in investments and over 700,000 square feet in new construction in Gilbert.
While all those benefits to Gilbert were felt, residents may be more quick to recall Banger’s leadership during the “Gilbert Goons,” a group of mostly wealthy teens who committed a series of crimes and terrorized the community from 2022 onward that ultimately resulted in the murder of a boy in 2023.
The Gilbert Goons and their Halloween murder quickly became a national story, with much scrutiny over the city’s handling of the teens’ crimes leading up to the murder.
ODG control over city communications led to what former employees and residents believed to be the cause of delays and scarcity in communications on the Gilbert Goons.
Banger is also president-elect of the Arizona City/County Management Association. He was formerly chairman of the Maricopa Association of Governments Management Board and an Honorary Base Commander at Luke Air Force Base.
Before taking over as town manager for Gilbert in 2011, Banger’s roots were in Missouri, where he was a consultant, home builder, city administrator, and city financial analyst.
Watch Glendale City Council discuss and vote on Banger’s hiring here:
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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed HB 2611, also known as “Preston’s Law,” into law, marking a significant change in how the state prosecutes violent assaults involving multiple offenders. The legislation, championed by State Representative Matt Gress (R-LD4), was named in honor of 16-year-old Preston Lord, who was killed in a brutal group assault in October 2023.
The new law classifies coordinated violent group assaults that result in physical injury as aggravated assault—a class 4 felony under Arizona law. Prior to this legislation, Arizona statutes lacked specific language addressing violent attacks carried out by multiple individuals acting together, limiting the ability of prosecutors to pursue enhanced charges in such cases.
“Preston’s Law ensures that those who commit violent acts as a group will face real consequences,” said Rep. Gress in a statement. “We’ve seen what happens when mobs believe they can act with impunity. This law sends a clear message: if you gang up to hurt someone, you will be held accountable.”
The law’s passage follows public outcry and widespread grief over the circumstances of Lord’s death, which drew attention to what many saw as a gap in the legal system when it comes to addressing group violence, particularly among teenagers. The case prompted renewed discussion about youth violence and accountability, especially in suburban communities where such incidents have historically been rare but have become more visible through social media and viral videos.
Gress worked closely with Preston Lord’s family and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to draft the bill. The bill moved through the Arizona Legislature with broad bipartisan support, reflecting a shared desire to address organized violence and enhance protections for victims.
Lord’s death became a rallying point for change, with his family actively advocating for new laws to ensure other families don’t suffer the same fate. “We honor Preston Lord by making his name a legacy of reform—not just a reminder of tragedy,” Gress said.
Under current Arizona law, aggravated assault encompasses a range of scenarios, such as assaults with deadly weapons or against certain protected classes. With Preston’s Law now enacted, group coordination becomes a specific aggravating factor, giving prosecutors stronger grounds to pursue felony charges when more than one person participates in an assault.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Police arrested several more individuals this week with alleged connections to the series of attacks by a violent group of youths known as the “Gilbert Goons.”
On Tuesday, Gilbert Police arrested Deleon Haynes, 19, and a 17-year-old minor in relation to an alleged assault and robbery from last August. Then on Wednesday, Gilbert Police arrested William Owen Hines, 18, along with a 17-year-old minor in relation to an assault that occurred in December 2022. Police also arrested Jacob Pennington, 20, who was also arrested earlier this month for an assault last November.
Pennington admitted his involvement with the violent group of youths in a statement to police; he also claimed that the name “Gilbert Goons” originated with a Snapchat group chat.
Gilbert Police are working with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Chandler, Mesa, and Queen Creek police departments to arrest the teen violence perpetrators.
The law enforcement agencies are also coordinating with the Arizona Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission to determine whether the Gilbert Goons may be classified as a criminal street gang.
Others arrested and named by police in relation to this series of teen violence cases: Kyler Renner, 18; Gage Garrison, 19; Tyler Strocchia, 22; Christopher Fantastic, 18; Aris Arredondo, 18; Garrett Bagshaw, 18; and Jack Woods, 17. Several unnamed minors, all aged either 16 or 17, have also been arrested. Woods was identified after prosecutors charged him as an adult.
Gilbert Police post regular updates to a dedicated page on their investigations into teen violence in Gilbert with suspected connections to the Gilbert Goons. Officials say they’ve made 35 teen violence-related arrests, with 22 having occurred this past month. Gilbert currently has five active cases into teen violence.
Efforts to string together the teen violence cases and discern their relationship to the Gilbert Goons began shortly after the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween house party last October in Queen Creek. Lord was assaulted by a group of teens and died as a result of his injuries.
Gilbert’s efforts are independent and separate from Queen Creek Police’s investigation into Lord’s death.
During a press conference last week, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell revealed that she was receiving daily briefings on Lord’s case and that their office was reviewing thousands of pieces of evidence, including over 600 videos. Law enforcement issued their submittal of Lord’s case for charges in late December.
In response to criticisms of the time it’s taken to press charges, Mitchell pointed to statutory requirements as the cause of the slowness in evidence-gathering efforts. She said that law enforcement can’t pull videos or pictures from social media, or receive them for direct submission, for evidence.
“I have to have evidence that it is what I say it is,” said Mitchell. “In order to make that admissible — that video or that picture, for example — I have to be able to put somebody on the stand to say, ‘I either took this video and this is the video I took,’ or I have to put somebody on that says, ‘I reviewed the video, I saw what happened, the video is an accurate reflection of what happened.’”
Mitchell confirmed that their office is looking into classifying the Gilbert Goons as a criminal street gang.
Community members and social media sleuths have cited those types of videos and pictures to claim that more suspected “Goons” have yet to be arrested and charged.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson ended her reelection campaign on Thursday.
Peterson’s sudden decision comes amid several months of community grief and outrage over the “Gilbert Goons”: the violent teen group that had reportedly plagued the community for several years leading up to the October murder of 16-year-old Preston Lord. The youth’s death, and the Gilbert Goons’ alleged involvement, went viral across multiple social media platforms and attracted national media coverage.
The mayor said in a statement that her desire to spend time with family outweighed her intent on seeking another term in office, among other, “many reasons” to which she alluded but didn’t elaborate.
“Now a new chapter has begun, almost 15 months ago my grandson was born; life is short and I am choosing to focus my energy on my family and so as of now I’m ending my reelection campaign,” said Peterson.
According to an email obtained by The Arizona Republic, Peterson informed the town’s executive leadership about her intent to drop her campaign within an hour of when the media was anticipated to announce it. Peterson promised to not resign, despite community advocates’ demands.
“I promise you, I will not be resigning before the end of my term,” said Peterson. “I will not put this team and the current council through that process and I will fulfill my obligation.”
Peterson also elaborated to town leadership that she hadn’t seen her grandson often, though he lived close by.
“My grandson is about to turn 15 months old and I realized I haven’t seen him 15 times and he only lives in the west valley,” said Peterson.
Peterson’s announcement came shortly after Vice Mayor Scott Anderson launched his candidacy against her, and less than two days after another contentious town council meeting, in which Peterson again faced much public comment critical of her handling of the Gilbert Goons, as well as new criticisms over her permissiveness of the town’s Office of Digital Government.
“We desperately need some change in Gilbert,” said Anderson. “I view myself more as a statesman, a leader.”
In addition to Anderson, Peterson had another opponent seeking to unseat her: former deputy county attorney Shane Krauser.
In response to Peterson’s sudden exit, Krauser made a promise of more public transparency through recurring town halls.
“Our government officials have hidden for too long and, thus, we’ve had a lack of real accountability,” said Krauser. “New leadership is coming. A new level of accountability is on the horizon. Our best days are ahead.”
Rest assured that as the next mayor of Gilbert, Arizona, we will hold frequent town hall gatherings where we will discuss what is happening in our community, concerns, and solutions. Just as important, I will be held accountable in a public forum.
Since taking office in 2021, Peterson’s tenure has been fraught with public controversy: including free speech lawsuits and no less than a dozen ethics violation complaints.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Big Brother is alive and well in one Arizona town, where an entire department of city employees is paid to monitor the online speech of employees and elected officials — as well as control all government communications online — to enforce conformity with a progressive political agenda.
Though it may sound like a fictional invention of Orwellian fashion, there’s a real place in Arizona where that occurs. It’s an arrangement unlike any other in the state and, by all indicators, the first of its kind in the nation. It’s the Office of Digital Government (ODG) in the town of Gilbert.
At the helm is Dana Berchman, chief digital officer. For over a decade, Berchman has overseen an average of 10-12 employees who ensure that the 30 official government accounts—along with personal online postings of government-affiliated individuals—fall in line with a liberal political outlook: Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ ideologies, and the like.
For their work, ODG employees are amply compensated. Their annual salaries range from over $82,000 to nearly $138,000; only two of the employees make slightly under that range, earning well over $60,000. Berchman receives the highest salary by far: over $200,800 annually.
There were also two employees that left ODG within the 2023 fiscal year: their salaries amounted to about $188,300. Including those positions, all ODG salaries amount to over $1.15 million.
Public records revealed that under Berchman, ODG contacts various departmental leadership about employees’ online speech if it runs counter to progressive ideals or appears to be critical of their department. Leadership is then expected to confront employees about their speech.
Over the last few years of marked social political upheaval due to George Floyd’s death, the 2020 election, and the COVID-19 pandemic, ODG permitted public displays of support for issues like Black Lives Matter (BLM), vaccines, and mask-wearing, but sought out discipline for those whose speech was or appeared to be the least bit critical of those stances — or ODG.
Following George Floyd’s death, ODG led a unified response across all Gilbert departments to show solidarity with BLM: “blackout” posts, a video statement from the mayor, and pictures of first responders bending the knee to BLM protesters.
One former employee that we spoke with on the condition of anonymity said that they left their job in part due to ODG’s control over the other departments.
“When I worked there, they were pushing the chiefs of police and fire to be more liberal. Then there’s those emails about how excited they were about getting the chief to kneel to BLM,” said the former employee.
That former employee added that anything a department wanted to put out on social media had to receive ODG’s complete approval.
“It was difficult to get anything accomplished,” said the former employee. “Everything was so tightly managed. People on the ground there were upset because they couldn’t do anything.”
That could explain the delay in communications on the arguably biggest development to hit Gilbert in decades, one that has now made national headlines: the Gilbert Goons.
Independent investigative efforts by reporters indicated that similar teen-involved assaults in the East Valley go back as early as December 2022; Gilbert police initially claimed that they only discovered a pattern and the term “Gilbert Goons” last month, but later noted that victims referenced their assailants’ association with the violent group.
Other issues have sparked more immediate attention from Gilbert leadership. Public records revealed that departmental leadership would entertain ODG’s complaints about certain employees’ online speech to which they objected, such as a show of support for first responders.
In an August 2020 email obtained through public records, Berchman notified Gilbert Fire Department (GFD) leadership that one of their fire trucks drove by and turned on sirens to support Back the Blue protesters.
The implication was that GFD leadership would instruct its employees to not engage in similar behavior in the future, as they have regarding the displays of thin blue line flags symbolizing support for police. Gilbert fire and police leadership instructed personnel to not fly those flags due to their controversial message related to George Floyd’s death and the BLM riots.
Several days after Berchman’s complaint, Police Chief Michael Soelberg and then-Fire Chief Jim Jobusch issued a joint email and video to their employees directing them to not “choose sides” publicly concerning Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter protests.
“Given the intensity of the debate and strong personal feelings some have about these gatherings, [we] thought it would be prudent to put out a consistent message to the members of both of our departments,” read a joint email notifying personnel of the video.
“We need to be aware not to choose sides and to not leave the perception that we’re choosing sides during large gatherings,” said Jobusch in the video.
Records also revealed that ODG would spend business hours documenting the nitty gritty of Gilbert employees’ social media activity, even down to when they “liked” posts critical of ODG. In another 2020 incident, ODG issued a post to the town’s Twitter (now X) page celebrating itself for winning an award. In an internal messaging group between team members, ODG discussed one employee who “liked” another local’s comment criticizing ODG as a “bloated team of Insta posters” funded by taxpayers.
“Yeah [this individual] has had a few bad tweets and likes the past 24 hours,” one ODG employee wrote in a group message.
Gilbert Digital is humbled to receive @GovernmentSM's 2020 Social Media Team of the Year Award! 🎉
2020 has been a challenging year, but your likes, shares and feedback (yes all of the feedback 😉) has made it all worth it. Thank you, #GilbertAZ!
The same day of the Jan. 6 breach at the Capitol, Berchman sent an internal group message tasking her employees with hunting down and tracking the personal social media posts of one town employee critical of them. In that same conversation, Berchman alluded that she maintained a dossier of other town employees’ social media posts.
“Do you all have a folder or compilation of all of [this employee’s] tweets? Or posts?” asked Berchman. “I just looked in my social media files and I had most of these [posts other ODG members sent]. It makes me sick to look at these [posts] especially TODAY.”
Yet, Berchman’s personal social media often delves into the political. Her posts over the years openly declared her support of Democratic candidates and progressive issues such as abortion, gun control, and same-sex marriage.
“A bunch of old white guys? Not interested,” wrote Berchman, in response to former President Trump’s potential cabinet selections.
“Today I feel hope, joy, and relief. To those who thought it couldn’t be that bad — it was worse than I ever imagined,” said Berchman on President Joe Biden’s inauguration day. “Watching the past four years and particularly the last one and explaining to my children the things they’ve seen and heard. Never again.”
Today I feel hope, joy & relief. To those who thought it couldn’t be that bad – it was worse than I ever imagined. Watching the past four years & particularly the last one & explaining to my children the things they’ve seen & heard. Never again. ❤️#InaugurationDay
“Every single word of this – especially ‘coming to grips with the reality that millions voted for a man so obviously willing to burn our democracy down for his own ego,’” said Berchman.
Every single word of this – especially “coming to grips with the reality that millions voted for a man so obviously willing to burn our democracy down for his own ego.” https://t.co/avvIOULMH8
Berchman reposted controversial tweets from then-presidential candidate Joe Biden urging people to vote out then-President Donald Trump, then a post from Biden announcing a mask mandate. Berchman also shared a post blaming parents for school shutdowns over COVID-19 case spikes.
Berchman was behind the new town logo that stoked controversy last year, with many left dissatisfied with the end product of a two-year process. Both Mayor Brigette Peterson and council noted they were kept out of the process for developing the logo, with Peterson receiving resistance from town manager Patrick Banger: a common pattern for ODG.
Public records revealed that those town employees who criticized the logo were the subject of ODG documentation and internal messaging.
This appeared to be a frequent exercise for Berchman and her ODG members, though relatively new for the department.
ODG didn’t exist until 2012, when Banger came up with the idea for the department: the first of its kind in the nation. Banger credited former Democratic New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his media empire for coming up with the idea. The year before, Bloomberg hired the nation’s first chief digital officer, Rachel Haot, and together they crafted the nation’s first digital roadmap.
“One of the things that I’d been doing for quite some time is following what Mayor Bloomberg was doing in New York,” said Banger in an early episode of the town’s now-defunct podcast, Government Gone Digital.
Haot’s oversight of online governmental communications resembled the centralized approach that ODG has undertaken. Haot identified her team as the authority on what was published online across city departments, in one interview using Hurricane Sandy as an example.
“24/7 we were working to ensure that all of those channels were working in lockstep,” said Haot. “Say the public housing agency had a new update they needed to get out to their constituents — we had a streamlined process to make sure the information was accurate and could get out there as soon as possible.”
Bloomberg is the liberal billionaire behind the nonprofit Bloomberg Philanthropies. What Works Cities (WWC) is a project of the nonprofit; Gilbert joined them in 2017. WWC’s Results for America awarded ODG in 2020 for public communications that facilitated community trust during COVID-19. Then-WWC Executive Director Simone Brody remarked that ODG exemplified the ideal approach for government communications.
“This recognition honors her life by celebrating cities like Gilbert that exemplify how governments and residents can collaborate to build a better future for us all.”
The following year, 2021, Brody became the senior advisor of Biden’s American Rescue Plan Implementation Team. The primary focus of the team was to ensure the trillions in federal relief funds were issued equitably, not equally.
Banger hired Berchman, a Gilbert native, in 2012. Like his inspiration, Berchman launched her career in New York, where she interned for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign before working for MTV and then MSNBC.
By 2017, ODG had gained significant control over which departments could have social media platforms and what they could share. In the town’s podcast, Berchman explained that ODG had centralized oversight but would give “social media ambassadors” the ability to post and share.
“We don’t just give every [department] a Facebook account because they want one. Who’s going to run it? What are you going to put there? Are you going to have someone monitor it 24/7?” said Berchman.
It wasn’t until 2019 that ODG revoked that limited autonomy and fully took over communications for every department. Berchman discussed the plan in the town’s podcast, in an episode that described the approach as “building the city of the future.”
“We are going to have a truly centralized communications team, we’re going to have people embedded in the other departments: parks and recreation, police, and fire, which is what’s really unique about this, I think, and economic development,” said Berchman. “It is important for us to be streamlined, all on message together, all on brand.”
We are so excited to open our Police Department PIO position. The PIO will be a key member of the Police Department and Town of Gilbert. To learn more about these positions check out @GovGoneDigital podcast (Episode 67) on iTunes. @GilbertPolice@GilbertYourTownhttps://t.co/w5LXz0acaZ
Public records indicate that 2019 was also the year that ODG began ramping up oversight of employee’s personal social media content.
Kelsey Perry — then ODG’s community engagement coordinator, now a public information officer — sent an internal message that August flagging the personal Instagram story of a town employee that “could be deemed culturally insensitive.” The video was passed on from ODG leadership to that employee’s superiors.
In a recent interview, Berchman alluded to her limiting input to those who agree with her perspective, calling those who have grievances “pitchfork people” that didn’t qualify as the average Gilbert resident.
“Let other people come in, invite them in and let them tell you what they think about what you’re doing,” said Berchman. “Not people that show up at council meetings or, I say, the pitchfork people that have a grievance, but the average person who’s busy living their lives.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
