Phoenix City Council member Ann O'Brien elected vice mayor

PHOENIX - The Phoenix City Council elected council member Ann O'Brien as vice mayor in a 7-1 vote on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
O'Brien served on the City Council for four years and was the chair of the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee and the Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee.
"I am beyond honored to be entrusted by my peers to serve in this important role," said Vice Mayor Ann O'Brien in a press release. "As Vice Mayor, I will continue to work towards reducing homelessness, cutting red tape, and making Phoenix the best place to live by staying committed to working with my colleagues in a nonpartisan fashion."
Local perspective:
She was very outspoken in June 2024 when the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report on findings of mispractice by the Phoenix Police Department.
O'Brien issued a release on the findings saying that the DOJ's desire to force the city of Phoenix into a consent decree would have negative consequences for the police department.
"Our police department is not perfect, but we have already implemented significant reforms, such as revising our use of force policy with community input, mandating de-escalation training, removing them from interactions where a mental health professional may be better suited, and creating the Office of Accountability and Transparency, and the Civilian Review Board. In fact, the City of Phoenix and its Police Department have already implemented, or are currently implementing, many of the reforms the DOJ called for in other agencies they investigated and placed under a consent decree. Phoenix Police have demonstrated a commitment to improvement and transparency, showing we are capable of reforming ourselves without the need for a DOJ consent decree or a costly court-ordered monitor," O'Brien said in the release.
The backstory:
Before serving on the council, O'Brien worked as a real estate agent and served on the Stetson Hills Elementary PTA.
She is a graduate of Arizona State and has two children with her husband, Terry.
What they're saying:
O'Brien will serve under Mayor Kate Gallego, who released the following statement on O'Brien's election: