Gilbert council opts against a no confidence vote and asks staff to find a mediator

Tuesday's planned no-confidence vote regarding Gilbert Mayor Bridgette Peterson capped months of tension on the Town Council and came after a flurry of ethics complaints filed by council members against each other.

But in the end, the faction seeking the first-ever no-confidence vote on a Gilbert mayor balked, choosing reconciliation over confrontation.

Freshman Councilmembers Chuck Bongiovanni, Bobbi Buchli and Jim Torgeson filed a request on Monday to consider a largely symbolic no-confidence vote on Peterson, something that had never happened.

Instead, Bongiovanni chose not to call for the vote but recommended that the town manager and attorney bring in a mediator to help alleviate the lingering conflicts within the Town Council.

Read: Who are Gilbert's councilmembers? Who serves on Gilbert Town Council? Here's what to know

Vice Mayor Kathy Tilque, who led the meeting as Peterson was not allowed to be involved in the discussion, initially made the suggestion.

Prior to the special meeting, Peterson received a public chastising from residents during the public hearing portion of the regular council meeting. Residents expressed their frustration, embarrassment and anger toward the council infighting and leadership of the mayor with even one resident asking her to step down.

Read: Who is Gilbert's mayor? What to know about Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson

The vote came just two weeks after Peterson filed an ethics complaint against Torgeson, alleging he violated five provisions of the Town Council's code of ethics policy.

A vote of no confidence would not have an impact on Peterson’s ability to govern, a Gilbert spokesperson said. It also has no legal standing and is a public statement to Peterson asking her to make changes in her behavior, Tilque said.

No confidence vote

Bongiovanni said his call for the vote was not a reflection of Peterson personally but rather a reflection of her leadership. He did not go into detail as to why he called the meeting because he didn't want to break any state laws or disparage the town.

"My hope was to send a message to the mayor that 'you need to make some changes,'" Bongiovanni said. He said the residents have earned the right to have a functional council.

Councilmember Scott Anderson and Yung Koprowski supported the proposal to bring in a mediator and said they were uncomfortable making a vote that night with such short notice and without the full details. Buchli also agreed to bringing in a mediator.

Torgeson said it has been months without an effort to have meaningful discussions to address the lingering infighting on the council.

Following the council discussion, Peterson said she was "a little lost" about what was being discussed that night and left it at that. The council did leave the door open to a future no-confidence vote if the mediator can't help improve council relations.

Ethics subcommittee to review conflicts of interest policy

Prior to the no-confidence discussion, the council mulled updating its policy on conflicts of interest with public body members. The discussion was in direct reference from two ethics complaints filed against Koprowski that questioned town contracts with her firm, Y2K Engineering.

The two complaints were filed on July 13 by Maricopa County resident Terri Naddy, who has been an outspoken critic of the Ocotillo Road widening project. In it, she claims that it is an ethics violation “to have ongoing agreements that produce profit from the municipality” a council member represents.

Naddy requested the town to hold her complaints and wait for a review of policies. During public comment on Tuesday, she said she is willing to wait for a policy update so as not to burden the town with the cost of an investigation, which could run into the thousands if the town hires an outside investigator.

“I believe the town of Gilbert’s policy on this should be stronger than the state, so these things can’t happen,” Bongiovanni said. The only workaround he found is to develop language that says a “sitting council member who owns more than 20% of a business cannot do business directly with the town,” he said.

Koprowski said that the conflict of interest she has as a business owner with the town has been properly identified, disclosed and disqualified and that she is committed to continue serving in the best interests of the public.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at [email protected] or 480-271-0646. Follow her on Twitter @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gilbert council asks staff to bring in mediator to resolve infighting