City Of Glendale Announces City Manager Finalists
Published on October 02, 2025
Nationwide search narrowed to final two candidates
The Glendale City Council is pleased to announce the two finalists for the city manager position. Patrick Banger, current Gilbert town manager, and Vicki Rios, current Glendale assistant city manager.
The finalists were selected after a competitive nationwide search. Each finalist brings exceptional experience and decades of commitment to public service.
The city will conduct a two-day interactive process in early October that will culminate with a Council panel interview and a final selection.
About the Candidates:
Patrick Banger has served as town manager of Gilbert (population 280,436) and was appointed in August 2011. Patrick has more than 24 years of local government experience in addition to 7 years of executive level leadership in the private sector.
Banger is a key leader in transforming Gilbert into one of the most sought-after places for residential living and corporate expansions and relocations. He is recognized as a forward-thinking leader, who has earned national, award-winning recognition for the community. He orchestrated the downtown revitalization of Gilbert Heritage District, generating $387 million in investments and 748,000 square feet in new construction.
Innovation is at the core of Banger’s leadership resume having pioneered one of the first-of-its-kind municipal positions responsible for integrating AI technologies while addressing ethical considerations and risk mitigation. He also led the community planning for a comprehensive, long-term sustainability program using advanced metrics and future-state modeling.
Since 2011, Gilbert’s financial performance has excelled and was recognized as the top performing city in the nation post-recession, tripling its general fund reserves, and receiving 36 credit rating upgrades culminating in AAA ratings from all three agencies; Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch and S&P placing Gilbert in the top .002% of cities in the nation.
Vicki Rios has proudly called Glendale home for nearly four decades, giving her a deep understanding of the city’s vibrant, diverse character and the needs of the community she serves. As part of the City Manager’s executive leadership team, she provides strategic oversight for more than 2,000 city employees and leads several key departments, including Parks and Recreation, Glendale Libraries and Community Services, Innovation and Technology, and Human Resources and Risk Management.
Rios’ financial expertise played a pivotal role during one of Glendale’s most challenging periods. When she joined the city in 2013, Glendale was near bankruptcy. Drawing on her extensive background in public finance, she was an integral part of efforts to refinance the city’s debt and build up cash reserves—an initiative that sparked a dramatic financial turnaround.
Recently, she has been a driving force behind Glendale’s affordable housing initiatives, working creatively to bring much-needed projects to the community. Her business development acumen and trusted stakeholder relationships have been instrumental in positioning Glendale as a national and international sports and entertainment destination, fueling explosive economic growth in the city’s Sports & Entertainment District. She was also a key part of the city earning the 2025 Arizona Chamber of Commerce top business award.
City Manager Kevin Phelps announced in February 2025 that he would step down after nearly 10 years of service. Under his leadership, the city significantly improved financially and operationally. Phelps has placed a priority on creating a robust business sector by establishing Glendale as a major employment hub. Glendale's consistently recognized by business leaders as one of the most business-friendly cities in the Valley. This is evidenced by the more than $3 billion of private sector investment over the past several years.