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Council affirms Vice Mayor Jackie Parsons as CDAC representative amid public accusations over taken newsletters
Summary
Public commenters accused Vice Mayor Jackie Parsons of removing copies of a community newsletter from a laundromat; council voted to recommend Parsons as the primary representative to the Community Development Advisory Committee despite objections and calls to table the appointment.
Public comments at the El Mirage Common Council’s April 7 meeting centered on accusations that Vice Mayor Jackie Parsons removed community newsletters from a local laundromat, prompting several residents to urge accountability as the council considered appointments to a regional advisory committee.
During the call to the public, resident Robert McDaniel said he viewed video he described as showing Parsons “entering the business, walking directly to the display rack that had the newsletters, removing all of them, and then leaving.” Mark Hill and others said copies paid for by residents went missing and that the incident prompted harassment of a laundromat owner. Several speakers urged the mayor and council to respond and called for Parsons to resign her committee assignments.
Council Member Norton McDaniel moved to table a consent-item appointment to the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) and to reconsider other nominees, arguing that council members who had previously expressed interest had not been consulted and that CDAC bylaws had been violated at a prior meeting. That motion failed for lack of a second.
Mayor moved to recommend Vice Mayor Parsons as the primary CDAC representative and Council Member Ryan Eldridge as the alternate for the FY2026–2028 term; Council approved the recommendation. Mayor announced the motion carried after a voice vote and one vocal opposition from Council Member Norton McDaniel.
Parsons addressed the council later in the meeting during mayor and council comments. She said she “collected several new newsletters from a local business” to review content and to share with family and residents who had questions, and acknowledged that taking multiple copies at once “may have created a different perception.” She said it was not her intent “to mislead, interfere, or limit access for others,” and said she takes responsibility for the perception her actions created.
The council did not take further disciplinary action during the meeting. Several residents said they would pursue formal complaints, and speakers said they expected media attention. The appointment to CDAC will take effect July 1, 2026, per the item as noticed.
Next steps: the council did not rescind the appointment; any formal ethics or disciplinary process would occur separately if filed.
