Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson halts reelection bid; some critics say she should go now

Gilbert politicians Thursday were left to process the implications of the sudden announcement that Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson will not seek reelection to a second term after all.

The embattled mayor dropped the news suddenly on Thursday morning, reversing what she told The Arizona Republic just seven days before.

In an email sent to town department heads Thursday morning, Peterson told staff the announcement was going to be released in a news story that she would be ending her reelection campaign. She vowed to stay in office until January 2025.

"I promise you, I will not be resigning before the end of my term. I will not put this team and the current council through that process and I will fulfill my obligation," she wrote, in documents obtained by The Arizona Republic via a public records act request.

That promise satisfied some critics, opponents and colleagues who wanted to bring some stability to a chaotic Town Hall. But her harshest critics, citing her handling of the "Gilbert Goons" scandal, said she should go now because she has proven herself ill-equipped to stop teen violence.

Peterson called it quits against that backdrop, as the investigation of the "Gilbert Goons," a spate of teen assaults at its hands, and the scandal over the town's handling of them has widened by the day.

Peterson's term was plagued by scandal before news of the Goons exploded last month. Last summer, she and her colleagues were embroiled in a string of ethics probes, and Peterson was criticized for her heavy-handed treatment of dissenters at council meetings.

In a statement released from the mayor's office, Peterson wrote she will continue to give the role her 110%.

"Life is short and I am choosing to focus my energy on my family and so as of now I'm ending my reelection campaign. I always knew that I would know, in my heart, when it would be the right time to step away and for many reasons I'm choosing now for this step," she wrote in the statement.

Read the statement: From the office of Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson

She refused an interview request and did not elaborate on those "many reasons."

Peterson's decision was first reported by the Daily Independent in which she told the outlet she is not seeking re-election to spend more time with her family and that she made the decision last week.

In a text message last week to The Republic, she confirmed she was running for re-election writing, “I know and understand the every day demands of the position of mayor, along with the history of the growth and development of the community.”

Read the email: Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson's message to her team

News spread quickly on social media among parents critical of Gilbert's handling of the Goons investigation.

The Arizona Republic in December found the Gilbert Goons, a gang of mostly affluent teenagers, had engaged in a string of attacks on other teens in the southeast Valley for more than a year. Most attacks occurred in Gilbert. Parents, students and community activists say members of the Goons were involved in the Oct. 28 fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween party in Queen Creek.

Peterson's history with Gilbert

Peterson spent 14 years on the Planning Commission and served on the Town Council for five years. She is from Massachusetts and moved to Gilbert in 1995. She previously worked at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa.

She won in a run-off race in 2020 with 57% of the vote.

Her departure leaves two candidates left in the race. Vice Mayor Scott Anderson and Shane Krauser, a former deputy county attorney with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Peterson's term has not been without controversy, including an ethics complaint and an open meeting violation.

Residents' frustration for Peterson's leadership lingered from the controversy into the town's logo to the rezoning of The Ranch.

In November, the council unanimously voted to reject an ethics complaint that cleared Peterson of any wrongdoing and required her to take opening meeting law training. She has an open complaint from two residents for using her "position of power as mayor to retaliate."

Peterson has received criticism from the community for her lack of communication on the "Gilbert Goons" scandal.

Councilmembers react to announcement

Gilbert's Town Council has had a rocky relationship over the past year but some are supporting Peterson's decision to drop out of the race to not seek reelection and spend time with more family.

Councilmember Kathy Tilque, who also is not seeking reelection, in a statement to The Republic, wrote she knows firsthand that Peterson's family has "taken the back seat to her strenuous schedule." She said she looks forward to working with Peterson and the rest of the council to address important issues so the community can "prosper."

"The voters will now have a choice between a calm, solution-based and experienced leader in Scott Anderson who understands the challenges facing the service lines for our community and an unknown in the mayor’s race," Tilque said.

Anderson said he is honored and respects Peterson's decision. "I know that was difficult to think about and to make that final decision," he said. He hopes Peterson finishes her term in a strong way and not be a "lame duck," a political phrase often used for leaders in the final months of their term.

Anderson said he'll have to shift his strategy for the mayoral race now that it is a two-person race.

Councilmember Yung Koprowski, who is also endorsing Anderson from his mayoral race, said she was not surprised to see Peterson drop out of the race and that is a good decision for her to spend more time with her family.

Councilmember Chuck Bongiovanni told The Republic that "family comes first" and that he was worried it was going to be an "ugly election cycle," had she been in the running for mayor.

Councilmember Bobbi Buchli also did not respond to a request from The Republic.

Mayoral candidate, community reacts

Shane Krauser said he was indifferent about the announcement because he’s confident in his race and he’ll keep moving forward to snag the mayoral seat.

He supports Peterson’s desire to stay in office till the end of her term. “She was elected by the people to run a four-year team and so I’m very much in favor of her doing what the majority ultimately elected her to do,” he said.

But many Gilbert residents met the news of Peterson's decision to not seek another term with open arms.

Longtime critic Brandon Ryff, who has a pending lawsuit against Peterson, commended her decision and called it a “responsible” move to let someone lead in the future.

With the ongoing scandals in the town, Ryff said Peterson has “lost control of her town” and that Gilbert has reached a critical point where he can’t see how she could “recover from this or be an effective leader.”

Ryff said if Peterson would resign before her term ends there would “be less of a distraction” but doesn’t see it would make much of a difference one way or the other.

Gilbert resident Kristine Brennan, an activist who has called for accountability into the “Gilbert Goons” investigations, said she was excited to hear the news but wants Peterson to go one step further and resign before her term ends.

“We have a crisis on our hands and she is not the right person in the seat to help with that crisis,” Brennan said.

Gigi Kuhlmey told The Republic that Peterson has dropped the ball in the investigations into the "Goons" and criticized the number of ethics complaints against Peterson.

Retired Gilbert firefighter Don Edwards said he doesn't see a benefit of a resignation and that it would "add a layer of chaos." Edwards said the support for Peterson started to diminish after a battle between the town and neighbors in 2021 on a proposed go-kart park.

The ongoing issues in Gilbert are something that will keep the community passionate until acceptable answers are given, Edwards said. "I think this could be a high voter turnout," he said.

Timeline: Preston Lord investigation, 'Gilbert Goons' attacks stun Phoenix area

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Gilbert reacted to Mayor Brigette Peterson quitting reelection bid