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Gilbert Town Council frequently has been the target of public criticism and even its members often came at each other in 2023 as a series of ethics complaints came down.
But one member tried to put a humorous spin on it all April 16.
Councilmember Jim Torgeson, a signmaker by trade and often at the center of the back-and-forth on council or with the public, posted an A-frame sign outside council chambers with his own mug and a message:
“Can we all just relax and have a laugh? I have my Big Girl Panties. It’s OK. Thanks for being there and caring to be part of Gilbert.”
The “Big Girl Panties” referred back to the April 2 study session on Gilbert’s Office of Digital Government. At that session, Torgeson was the lone council member who expressed discomfort with ODG’s conduct after a conservative website brought up three-year-old accusations that the office had been politicized and a number of residents from the Legislative District 14 Republican Party organization called for the office to be dismantled.
But Mayor Brigette Peterson was having none of Torgeson’s continued criticism of the town’s marketing and communications team, telling him he needed to put his “big girl panties” on because it was time to move on from charges that she saw as politically motivated.
Some people in public comment criticized Peterson for using that language, including at the April 16 meeting. But Torgeson said the defense was unnecessary.
“Her comment truly did refer to something I had said two weeks before that,” Torgeson said. “So I don’t believe it was in a mean spirit.”
He said the mayor was just tapping into his own comments about dealing with something that was a problem.
“I can accept that this was done with a sense of humor, and I would hope that anyone else could accept that I see that. Let’s have a laugh because if we can lighten this up a little bit, it’s going to make things work better.”
Torgeson’s comments prompted Steve Lavelle, a former Gilbert firefighter who had criticized Peterson during public comment, to apologize from the audience.
Torgeson said he appreciated that, then cracked, “I am wearing my big girl panties, just so you know.”
But that prompted a woman in the audience to call out for him to stop being offensive to women.
“I’m sorry you can’t unsee that,” Torgeson said before Peterson moved the meeting along.
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Raised in Arizona, Tom Blodgett has spent more than 35 years in journalism in Arizona and joined Independent Newsmedia in July 2022 to launch the Gilbert edition. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication from 2005-19 and remains editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet.
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