Domestic Violence

I was accused of domestic violence during my last campaign. It was a humiliating and painful experience for me and my family. Because of this I became intimately aware of the damage, destruction, and dangers of domestic violence in our community. I also became aware of the damage of false reporting.


My ex-wife called the Gilbert police to report domestic violence on February 9, 2009. The police did not investigate the validity of her claim until March 26, 2009. If there had been any truth to her complaint she would have been in danger for the entire seven weeks. After the investigation, her complaint was proven to be untrue. When confronted, she admitted to the County Attorney that she made reports while under the influence of four highly addictive prescription painkillers; there had been no domestic violence.


The recent JT Ready murders in Gilbert is an extreme example of domestic violence. While rare in Gilbert, it is not uncommon. I have had a number of long conversations on this topic with my new wife, Susan Berman. Susan is a behavioral health therapist and has focused a lot of her career in this field. She was an expert guest consultant on the Dr. Phil Show discussing the topic of abuse. I have learned from Susan the depth of this problem. This is a real and imposing threat to our families and society. The one place a person has a right to be safe, secure, and free from threat is at home; but this insidious violence takes that right from too many. As your Mayor I will pay careful attention to this important issue:


  • I will institute aggressive timelines for investigating domestic violence reports; refer for prosecution or clear the case
  • I will fully support domestic violence shelter funding
  • I will fully support creating an abuse prevention program in Gilbert
  • I will also fight against the issue of 'false reporting' which diverts valuable resources away from real victims