Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance And Committees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council replaces CDAC primary representative after heated debate; incumbent objects
Summary
The council voted to change the city’s primary representative on the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC), moving Vice Mayor Jackie Parsons into the primary role and appointing Councilmember Ryan Eldridge (alternate). The incumbent, Councilmember Nora McDaniel, objected and argued the move broke precedent.
The El Mirage Common Council voted July 1 to change its primary representative to the Maricopa County Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC), appointing Vice Mayor Jackie Parsons as primary and assigning Councilmember Ryan Eldridge as the alternate.
Councilmember Nora McDaniel, who said the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors had previously approved her appointment for the two-year 2024–26 term, objected to removing an appointed representative midterm. McDaniel told the council she had attended every CDAC meeting and warned that replacing a serving representative without resignation or other cause was not standard practice: "When the previous CDAC appointees left the office on 12/03/2024, the majority counsel voted to appoint me as the primary CDAC representative ... It is not standard practice for this council or any other to remove appointed committee members midterm." (transcript).
Vice Mayor Parsons responded that CDAC bylaws permit removal by the appointing body and said the mayor had sought to place members in roles that would expand leadership opportunities across the council. Other council members argued the reassignment provided mentorship opportunities and improved representation; Councilmember Dorsey said the vote reflected a lack of confidence in McDaniel’s leadership, while McDaniel called the move a breach of process.
The motion to approve the change passed; the transcript records the motion carried with two nays. The council did not cite a resignation by the incumbent.
Why it matters: CDAC is the county advisory body for some community-development funding decisions. Changing the city’s appointed representative midterm drew criticism from an incumbent who said the appointment had been approved by the county and that midterm removal without cause is atypical.
Next steps: Staff and council discussed establishing a clearer, more transparent process for committee and board appointments and notifying all councilmembers in advance of future openings.
Vote summary: Motion passed with two recorded nay votes; the transcript does not list the full roll-call breakdown in the meeting minutes.
