Patrick Banger was at a crossroads in his career, and he eventually chose the chance to go big over the comfort of continuing down his current path.
The large-scale entertainment and municipal projects underway and in the plans in Glendale, more than any other reason, led him to leave Gilbert after 14 years as its city manager.
Banger will begin as Glendale city manager on Jan. 12. Current city manager Kevin Phelps announced his intent to step down in February.
“Professionally, it was those opportunities — one last great opportunity before I retire. I’m 56. Ten years from now I’ll be 66 and if we still have great things ahead of us and there’s great staff and great elected officials, I could work longer. That’s kind of the horizon I’ve been looking at. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity of one last great opportunity before I retire,” Banger said.
He said he did not truly look into the possibility until August.
John Cross, the recruiter, is the retired city manager of Queen Creek. Banger knows Cross and Phelps quite well.
Banger said he knew about State Farm Stadium, Westgate, and Luke Air Force Base.
At first he told Cross if he can think of anyone he’d get back to him. Cross called Banger back and spoke a little bit more about the things that were going on out here, like specifics about what is being built at VAI Resort, as well as the rest of the entertainment district.
“For me, professionally, I really enjoy the large projects — working with developers, working with corporations on relocations or expansions and leveraging those to the benefit of communities. The more I got to know that, the more I became intrigued,” Banger said.
Before Gilbert hired him in June 2011, Banger was city administrator at O’Fallon, Missouri, near St. Louis.
At that time Gilbert was recognized as a nice residential community, Banger said. With the plans the city had for the downtown and commercial areas, he said he saw great opportunity.
“In the Heritage District we had a handful of restaurants. We had a beautiful, small theater that is flourishing and is a wonderful asset. There wasn’t much there. Even in terms of restaurants, most people left Gilbert to go out to eat. Now people are coming in to eat and the downtown has been a huge success story. There’s a large $400 million project that is underway right now. It’s going to bring in a hotel, a 100,000-square-foot Class A office building, about 25,000 square feet of retail and restaurants.”
Rivulon, a 250-acre development that blends high end office space, retail and restaurants opened in late 2015 near the south Loop 202 in Gilbert. Isagenix International’s world headquarters opened there in 2016, while Deloitte, TD SYNNEX, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch opened offices in Rivulon.
Gilbert Regional Park and Desert Sky Park, and revitalizing the Heritage District were among the noteworthy achievements during Banger’s tenure.
Plans for Gilbert were flexible, Banger said, and the city should build out in the next five years or so.
“When it comes to the people … that was one of the hardest aspects of it. We have a great team of people that work very, very hard serving that community,” Banger said. “They’re not co-workers and colleagues. I think of them like family.”
That made leaving Gilbert a difficult decision.
He’ll also leave his family home in Gilbert and move with his wife, Belinda, to Glendale. The couple has three grown daughters.
Former Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels said his influence reached far beyond the projects he helped shepherd.
“The way that he built people,” Daniels said. “That would probably be the first thing.”
He got to know the entire Gilbert business and community ecosystem.
There is still work to be done in that Southeast Valley city, but most of it is finishing touches, Banger said.
“This profession of city management is a unique one. We have to live in the community we manage. If you’re taking a new job, you’re also taking a new house and all the things that come with that,” he said. “I’ll say some of my peers and friends in the profession asked, ‘Are you crazy?’ I’d had a tremendous amount of success in Gilbert. Many people would just ride that into retirement. That’s just not how I’m wired. Professionally, I like to be challenged.”
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Patrick Banger is leaving Gilbert after 14 years as town manager for a new challenge in being Glendale’s city manager. (Courtesy Town of Gilbert)
He was hired Oct. 14, a bit after a two-day interview process in Glendale.
In November and December, Banger got to know the staff at his new city and met more with the council.
“I’ve met with Patrick Banger a couple of times, and I’m very impressed with how well he understands how cities work and how easily he identifies problems and offers solutions,” Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers stated. “He’s energetic and truly focused on what’s best for our residents. We will do whatever it takes to continue making Glendale a better place to live.”
Now, listening to stakeholders and staff is the key, Banger said.
He got to know Phelps well, and is impressed by the job he and his team have done in recent years.
The other major construction project in Glendale will finish this spring when a $94 million renovation of City Hall ends with the building reopening downtown.
A lot of people will stop by City Hall and it can reestablish the downtown as a destination.
“That’s foot traffic coming to City Hall to transact whatever business they have with the city. That’s foot traffic coming into our downtown,” Banger said.
After his work in the rise of the Gilbert Heritage District, Banger will be charged with getting visitors back to Historic Downtown Glendale.
He said downtown Glendale has a lot more to work with now than the Gilbert Heritage District had when he arrived in 2011.
“Downtown Glendale was a place that was hopping and people used to come to. That’s very natural for communities and for things to ebb and flow,” Banger said. “The downtown itself, the structures that are here and Catlin Court and those historic homes, there’s an incredible opportunity to return that vibrancy to the downtown and build on what’s already there.”
Foot traffic is the key.
At first in Gilbert, the city brought in a farmer’s market, food trucks and art festivals to downtown. Festivals, art shows and theater are proven draws, Banger said.
“The challenges may differ between the town of Gilbert and the city of Glendale, but understanding his thought process — how he takes problems and applies common-sense solutions — gives us complete confidence in his ability,” Weiers said.
Downtown needs to have unique draws from Westgate and the Arrowhead area, Banger said, adding that city-owned parcels can fill the gaps.
“What’s missing in our downtown that we could or should bring in? I’ve always viewed downtowns are like the living room for their cities. They also are a point of pride for their cities,” Banger said. “The theater in Gilbert’s downtown has been a huge draw.”
Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
Keywords
Patrick Banger,
Glendale,
Gilbert,
Kevin Phelps,
Jerry Weiers,
John Cross,
VAI Resort,
Jenn Daniels,
Westgate