El Mirage council reviews notarized staff complaint against Councilmember Anita Norton McDaniel, votes to continue review after summer recess

Mayor Alexis Hermosillo opened a special meeting Tuesday to brief the City Council on a notarized complaint filed by a city employee alleging an inappropriate, intimidating interaction with Councilmember Anita Norton McDaniel on June 19, 2025, and a follow-up encounter on June 30, 2025. After more than two hours of discussion, the council voted to continue the matter to a second meeting scheduled after the council's August hiatus so Norton McDaniel and City Manager Crystal Dykes can be present.

The complaint, as read into the record by the mayor, describes a front-counter exchange June 19 in which the employee said Norton McDaniel questioned whether the employee had placed her mail in the wrong box and then asked, "Are you calling Crystal a liar?" The complainant said he felt uncomfortable and later submitted a notarized written statement. A second notarized statement recounts a follow-up conversation on June 30 in which the employee again said he felt uneasy and that Norton McDaniel asked that camera footage be reviewed.

The mayor, Alexis Hermosillo, told the council the complaint mirrors a…