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Residents tell Gilbert council they face intimidation over public‑records requests and social‑media complaints
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Summary
Several residents urged the council to protect public‑records access and said they faced harassment and intimidation when requesting records or criticizing officials on social media. A veterans advisory board member said a FOIA request he filed led to efforts by council members to identify and remove him from a town advisory board.
Two residents used the town’s communications‑from‑citizens period on April 8 to urge the Gilbert Town Council to protect access to public records and to call out what they described as intimidation tied to FOIA requests and social‑media posts.
Mindy Brocker, a Gilbert resident, said during public comment that she uses both her name and anonymous email addresses to obtain public records and that some residents fear retaliation if their identity is revealed. Brocker said elected officials have ‘‘relied heavily on public record to understand government actions and hold officials accountable’’ and asked the council to make records easier to access online and respond more quickly to requests.
Dave Rosenfeld, who identified himself as a 22‑year Army veteran, vice president of the Veterans Medical Leadership Council and a member of Gilbert’s veterans advisory board, said he filed a FOIA request using a nondescript email address after he posted on Facebook criticizing council action on pay raises. Rosenfeld said he later learned of an email thread involving councilmembers Jim Torgerson and Chuck Bongiovanni and a former councilmember, which he described as advocating for his removal from the veterans advisory board. Rosenfeld said he was told by the town attorney that taking action ‘‘so close’’ to the social‑media post would be seen as retaliation, but he quoted one council member as responding, ‘‘yes. I think he needs to go now.’’ Rosenfeld said he submitted the FOIA request to learn whether there had been coordination against him and that he believes his request was used as an example during the council’s FOIA study session.
Both speakers asked the council to preserve public‑records access and to avoid measures that would require requesters to identify themselves in ways they said would chill civic participation. Brocker also said town officials and the police should not be used to intimidate residents who are exercising rights to review records or speak at public meetings.
The council took no action during the meeting; no staff response or formal investigation outcome was recorded in the public minutes. The remarks were delivered during the communications‑from‑citizens portion of the agenda, which the council noted does not allow immediate staff responses under state law.
