El Mirage council schedules second meeting after review of notarized staff complaint against Councilmember Anita Norton McDaniel

The El Mirage Common Council met in a special open session Tuesday evening, July 8, to review a notarized complaint from a city employee alleging two June interactions in which Councilmember Anita Norton McDaniel’s tone and conduct left the employee uneasy. Mayor (name not specified in the transcript) presented the complaint materials to the full council and legal counsel explained procedural options under the council’s code of conduct.

The complaint alleges an initial interaction on June 19, 2025 and a follow-up encounter on June 30, 2025 at City Hall’s front counter. The employee’s notarized statement begins: "On Thursday afternoon, June nineteenth 2025, council member Anita Norton McDaniel stopped by the front counter at City Hall inquiring about her mailbox," and describes an exchange that the employee said left them uncomfortable. The mayor told council the statement and related emails were included in the packet provided to members.

City Attorney Trish (City Attorney) briefed council on how the code of conduct governs complaints against elected members and on the options available to the body: to dismiss the allegation, to direct a formal investigation, or to determine a violation has occurred based on the materials before council. "If you believe there is a pattern of unprofessionalism, you may choose to consider it," Trish said, and she cautioned against a final finding in the absent member's absence without giving that member an opportunity to respond.

Mayor (name not specified in the transcript) described a longer history of concerns that had been reported to the mayor’s office and framed the June incidents as part of a broader pattern in which staff and some council colleagues had described Norton McDaniel as "dismissive, rude, confrontational, and at times demeaning." "This matter is not about politics. It is about conduct," the mayor said. The mayor also said Norton McDaniel had been invited to meet with the mayor and had been given the opportunity to propose a time for that meeting; the mayor said no timely meeting request had been received prior to July 7.

Several council members described past, separate incidents and broader workplace effects. Councilmember Dorsey emphasized protecting staff and preventing loss of institutional employees, saying the council must consider what life would be like for the employee while the matter is unresolved. Councilmember Gentry and others said they had observed behavior they found concerning and urged a process that would produce a resolution. Vice Mayor Parsons and Councilmember Aldridge recounted prior staff reports reaching back years that, they said, supported the mayor’s description of a pattern. Councilmember Aldridge and Vice Mayor Parsons also raised other concerns they said were part of the wider context; those items will not be subject to council action in this meeting without further procedure.

Councilmembers and the mayor also noted that Norton McDaniel had asked, by email, to postpone any executive-session deliberation because she said she was out of town and because she sought access to video footage and related records. The mayor replied that the July 8 special meeting would proceed to present the notarized complaint and documentation to the full council and that a second meeting would be scheduled after Norton McDaniel’s return if the council wished to hear her response in person. The mayor also noted that, under state law cited in materials provided to council (ARS 38-431.03(a)(1) as quoted during the meeting), Norton McDaniel had the option to request the discussion in open session; that request was being honored.

After extended discussion, Councilmember Dorsey moved and Vice Mayor Parsons seconded a motion to continue the matter to a second meeting scheduled after the council's summer hiatus and at a time convenient for Councilmember Anita Norton McDaniel. The motion carried. The council then took a procedural motion to adjourn.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to continue discussion to a second meeting after summer hiatus (mover: Councilmember Dorsey; second: Vice Mayor Parsons): approved by voice vote (motion carried). Specific roll-call votes were not recorded in the packet. - Motion to adjourn: approved by voice vote.

What happens next

Council staff will work with the mayor’s office and the city clerk to schedule a second meeting date after the council’s hiatus so that Norton McDaniel can be present and the council can consider any further steps (dismissal, investigation, or finding of violation) under the code of conduct. Council legal counsel told members that, depending on council direction, council could authorize a formal investigation and have the results returned to council for later action.

Context and materials

Council materials provided at the meeting included: the notarized complaint from the employee; email communications sent between the mayor and Councilmember Anita Norton McDaniel; and excerpts of the City of El Mirage council handbook / code of conduct (pages cited to members during the meeting: 58, 63–66). Council members spoke repeatedly about balancing staff safety and due process for an elected member.

The meeting ended with the council directing staff to arrange the follow-up meeting date and with the understanding that the member who is the subject of the complaint will be given an opportunity to respond in person at the subsequent session.