FREE SUBSCRIPTION
Crash fatalities on the rise PAGE 6
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside This Week
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | www.GilbertSunNews.com
‘A vicious circle of drama and instability’ BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
NEWS............................. 7 Transportation tax compromise has good, bad news.
Sunday, August 6, 2023
G
ilbert Councilman Chuck Bongiovanni hopes an outside mediator will help the mayor clean up her act and restore what he called a lack of trust in her leadership. Bongiovanni last week failed to garner a council majority for a “no confidence” vote against Mayor Brigette Peterson and agreed instead to hire a mediator.
“I’m good with mediation for now,” Bongiovanni said the day after the Aug. 1 special meeting. “But I need to see immediate change or we’ll bring it right back to the dais and this time bring up the motion.” What prompted the first-term councilman to put the proposal on the table can be seen in an ethics violation complaint he filed July 27 against Peterson. She did not respond to a request for comment. Bongiovanni accused the mayor of breaking the town’s Code of Ethics by not being fair
and respectful and disclosing confidential information. He said Peterson knew full well in filing an ethics complaint with the Town Clerk against Councilman Jim Torgeson on the night of July 13, a Thursday, that Town Hall would be closed until the following Monday. He said Peterson had an ethical duty to inform council members about her filing out of fairness and respect to them but instead she had the
see MAYOR page 9
Local firm a pioneer in stronger, healthier plants COMMUNITY.............18 Gilbert mom, gym owner help cystic fibrosis victims.
BUSINESS................... 21 Former cop training dog owners with new business. COMMUNITY............................. 18 BUSINESS....................................21 GET OUT......................................24 CLASSIFIEDS............................. 25
BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
D
aniel Hilger has tilled the soil for over half a century, starting when he was old enough to carry a bucket of feed to the hogs. And for over 30 years, the Nebraska farmer has used humic-based agricultural products on his crops, which improved soil conditions, yielding stronger plants. “Once you have a healthy plant, the end product ends up tasting better and being healthier for people who are eating it,” said Hilger, owner of Hilger Agri/Natural Popcorn, in a 2019 podcast. A company behind the science of improving higher crop yields with fruits and vegetables having longer shelf life and tasting better is Huma, near McQueen and Guadalupe roads, Gilbert.
Lyndon Smith, president/CEO of Huma in Gilbert, watches as some liquid products move through the packaging line. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
Huma makes and sells an extensive product line wholesale to distributors throughout the United States and in 35 countries, including China, Israel, Italy and Mexico. The end users are farmers, such as Hilger.
Huma – founded by Dr. Jordan Smith, a plant physiologist, along with Don Organ and Delworth Stout – took root 50 years ago with
see HUMA page 4