The head of the town of Gilbert’s Office of Digital Government (ODG), Dana Berchman, resigned this week, several weeks ahead of a town council meeting to review the department’s scope and purpose.
The council’s pending review came after the publication of an AZ Free News report on ODG monitoring the online speech of employees and elected officials, and seeking action against those whose personal speech conflicted with their preferred, more progressive speech.
Town residents at subsequent council meetings either condemned or defended ODG. Those in condemnation of ODG expressed displeasure with the department’s budget and scope, disagreeing with ODG members using town time and resources to monitor the personal online speech of employees. Those in defense of ODG felt that the department was essential for delivering public communications in a timely manner.
Berchman emailed her resignation letter to the council on Tuesday. While Berchman didn’t cite the pending council review of ODG, she did include a plea for the council to support ODG’s continued existence and functions in her absence. Berchman also said that under her leadership ODG had improved the quality of Gilbert residents’ lives and delivered all necessary information “expediently, efficiently, and economically” to them.
“The Gilbert Digital Team’s unwavering dedication and rare talents are just what this community has needed over the last decade,” said Berchman. “Please do not forget the importance of the work that this team does and the incomparable impact they have on our community engagement.”
The former chief digital officer urged the council to not forget the significance and impact of ODG work. Berchman listed the remainder of the ODG team by name to thank them for their work: Jennifer Harrison, Derek Konofalski, Brenda Carrasco, Kelsey Perry, Lauren Oxford, Eva Kirschbaum, Oskar Agredano, Jordin Sanchez, Kailey Latham, Aymie Spitzer, and Debbie Dana. Berchman also thanked Town Manager Patrick Banger for creating and building up the department.
“Together we have pushed the boundaries of local government communications to new levels to set a high standard which other communities around the country, and even world, strive to replicate,” said Berchman.
ODG staff salaries amounted to over $1.15 million a year. Most ODG staff made over or close to six figures a year, per 2023 fiscal year salaries: Berchman made over $200,800, with the remainder of staff ranging from about $67,000 to $138,000.
Berchman’s resignation will take effect on March 7, two days after the scheduled council meeting to address ODG. Berchman clarified to the Gilbert Independent that she plans to launch a consulting firm upon leaving ODG.
Councilman Jim Torgeson proposed the council review of ODG. In a Facebook post announcing the council review, Torgeson urged town residents to be measured and respectful in their approach to ODG.
“I believe this to be an extremely important topic,” said Torgeson. “As a Town, we must remember that there are growing pains.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Transnational organized crime is on the rise in the Valley; South American Theft Groups (SATGs) are the suspected culprits behind a string of burglaries in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Chandler, Gilbert, Peoria, and unincorporated areas of Maricopa County.
SATGs, also known as “crime tourists,” are nationals from Chile and other South American countries that exploit tourist visas in order to obtain and transport stolen goods internationally. Up until recent years, SATGs were known to operate mainly in Los Angeles and New York City.
Federal agents have offered different estimates on the emergence of SATGs. An FBI special agent toldVanity Fair in 2022 that California’s troubles with SATGs began in 2016; in that same spate of interviews, another special agent claimed that the SATG plague began in 2014 after Chile joined the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program. Chile is the only South American country in the program.
The ESTA program automatically grants 90-day visas to South American countries’ citizens with clean background checks. These program authorizations are valid for multiple trips over a period of two years.
As agents told Vanity Fair, these SATG criminals likely have “clean” background checks because they use “fictitious documents, IDs, residency cards” to claim legal presence. As a result, SATG members generally register no criminal record.
Scottsdale Councilwoman Tammy Caputi advised in a press release last week that law enforcement agencies across the cities and towns are running surveillance operations to apprehend the SATGs including cameras, fixed and moving positions, aircraft, and K9 units.
The agencies also plan to convene for further coordination efforts on Wednesday, with the possibility of a multi-agency burglary task force.
Further, the FBI assigned an agent to coordinate response efforts to the crime trend.
In December, the FBI testified on SATGs at a congressional hearing regarding the uptick in organized retail crime. In order to address SATGs, the FBI leads task forces through its Major Theft Program (MTP).
In last week’s press release, Scottsdale Police estimated that this recent string of robberies began around last October. Police estimated at least 22 burglaries were the result of SATGs, with the latest occurring last week.
Scottsdale Police reported that it had conducted seven surveillance operations to apprehend the burglars, with an eighth planned for Tuesday night. Law enforcement also disclosed that they obtained physical evidence as well as camera footage from several of the burglaries.
Law enforcement noted that the burglaries were usually occurring Thursdays through Saturdays from 5-10 p.m. The burglars have primarily targeted homes adjacent to a wash.
One of the earliest to speak out on the burglary spree was Scottsdale City Council candidate Jan Dubauskas. On Monday, Dubauskas issued a press release warning of the import of the sudden uptick in crime.
“This is a crime spree and it’s not happening in a far-off blue city like San Francisco. It’s in our own backyard,” said Dubauskas. “Scottsdale is being targeted. We chose to live here because of the sense of safety and protection and that has been shattered.”
Dubauskas further urged the community to engage in neighborhood watches, and expressed confidence in local police’s ability to apprehend the perpetrators.
“We need to come together to protect our homes and ensure these thieves are caught and brought to justice,” said Dubauskas. “Thankfully, we have an all-star Police Department here in Scottsdale that is bringing the community in and making this a top priority. They’re some of the best in the country.”
Valley law enforcement are becoming more familiar with recognizing and catching SATGs. Around this time last year, 12 News reported on Scottsdale investigators prosecuting a crime syndicate that reportedly hit homes in Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada, and Utah in 2022.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Government officials throughout our country are in deep need of some education on the First Amendment. And the latest ones are currently serving in the Town of Gilbert right here in Arizona.
Last week, AZ Free News released an investigative report on Gilbert’s Office of Digital Government (ODG) and its Orwellian monitoring of employees’ online speech. For over a decade, the ODG, which is made up of approximately a dozen employees, has been working to ensure that Gilbert’s 30 official digital accounts—along with the personal online posts of all Town of Gilbert employees—align with a progressive, liberal agenda. And how much do you think this is costing taxpayers in Gilbert? Over $1.1 million each year in salary alone, with Chief Digital Officer Dana Berchman making over $200,000 annually.
When asked about the allegations in the investigative report, the town responded that it “will not tolerate divisive, offensive or culturally insensitive posts from employees purporting to represent the Town.” That’s interesting. Who decides what’s divisive, offensive, or culturally insensitive? The employees within the ODG? Dana Berchman herself?
For over an hour on Tuesday, Gilbert residents demanded justice for free speech violations committed by their town’s Office of Digital Government (ODG).
Most public comment during Tuesday’s town council meeting consisted of community members’ resounding call to end ODG and reappropriate the funds, citing the AZ Free News investigative report on the department. As we reported last week, records revealed that ODG monitored the online speech of employees and elected officials to ensure conformity with a progressive political agenda.
Several residents also related the report on ODG to their discontent with ongoing investigations into the “Gilbert Goons,” a violent group of teens and young adults behind reported and confirmed assaults on youths in Gilbert and the surrounding areas.
One 16-year resident, Carol Cherry, said that Gilbert was “hardly recognizable” and lacking common sense amid plaguing issues like the Gilbert Goons and ODG. Cherry called for the replacement of ODG with a more clearly defined and transparent communications department, arguing that paying a department to “spy” on employee speech shouldn’t be a government priority.
“Our children are being threatened by vicious beatings and even death by the infamous Gilbert Goons, and now we find out that we have another group of goons threatening segments of our community: that would be the Office of Digital Government,” said Cherry. “These dozen or so ‘thought police’ order supervisors to confront any employee who dares speak against the progressive narrative, even if that speech is on a personal social media account.”
Gilbert pays a department over $1 million a year to control town employees and elected officials' online speech to ensure conformity with a progressive political agenda. My latest covered by @azfamily ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/bBs07t09aE
Mayoral candidate Shane Krauser described the town government’s permissiveness of ODG as irresponsible. He took issue with the decision-making power and authority of unelected officials, referencing Town Manager Patrick Banger specifically. Krauser also criticized the amount of communication on the Gilbert Goons as too little.
“What we’re looking for here is just competent leadership, and maybe more than that, we’re looking for the individuals who were actually elected to run the government,” said Krauser. “These things are irresponsible from the town government’s perspective, and they’re fundamentally illegal, if they are true.”
Krauser added that $1.1 million was far too great an amount to pay ODG, especially considering the operations and apparent mission of the department. ODG employee salaries amounted to over $1.1 million prior to the departure of two employees within the last fiscal year. The head of ODG, Dana Berchman, made over $200,800.
“Dana Berchman has her own political philosophy that is being advanced through a platform that’s funded by the taxpayers of Gilbert,” said Krauser. “It’s a fundamental violation of the Constitution, it’s a fundamental violation of the rule of law.”
Concerning the cost of ODG, Gilbert’s former mayor, Steve Berman, suggested that the town disband the department and use the funds to pay the salaries of 15 new police officers capable of cracking down on teen violence like that of the Gilbert Goons.
Berman said it was well within the council’s authority to dissolve ODG, should at least four councilmembers direct the town manager to do so.
“What gives this department the right to spy on anybody’s Facebook account and then report their results to the town manager?” asked Berman. “I would like to see you disband the department, and take the money that’s being paid now, and we can fund the salaries of 15 new police officers for Gilbert. I think people would rather spend the money on more cops than on a secret police that’s spying on the employees.”
Scott Runde, chair of the Gilbert Town Council Watch Group for legislative district 14, similarly expressed a desire to end ODG and redirect the funds to something else, like a water treatment plant.
Councilman Jim Torgeson proposed the council add an agenda item to review the mission, purpose, and future existence of ODG. It didn’t appear that any other councilmembers backed the proposal.
Mayor Brigette Peterson asked Town Manager Patrick Banger — who started ODG under inspiration from former Democratic New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — to look into the ODG.
Police Chief Michael Soelberg addressed concerns from the residents concerning the Gilbert Goons and teen violence in the town and surrounding communities. Soelberg promised that more arrests would be forthcoming. He emphasized that, in spite of all that had happened, Gilbert remains a safe community.
“Gilbert is one of the safest cities in the country,” said Soelberg.
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.
