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Gilbert council removes Veterans Advisory Board member after repeated conduct complaints
Summary
The council voted 5-2 to remove Dave Rosenfeld from the Veterans Advisory Board following member complaints about his conduct and a staff-assisted records-review dispute; council cited repeated disrespectful behavior and public allegations against staff.
The Gilbert Town Council voted 5-2 on Oct. 28 to remove David (Dave) Rosenfeld from the Veterans Advisory Board, citing repeated conduct concerns and a public records dispute that council members said undermined trust in Rosenfeld's ability to serve.
Council member Monte Lyons, who presented the removal, said Rosenfeld had made multiple decisions and public statements that demonstrated poor judgment and had publicly accused town staff and elected officials of corruption without evidence. Lyons cited a sequence of events in which Rosenfeld had submitted a broad public-records request, declined mediation, circulated the matter to national watchdog organizations and media, and publicly criticized the town clerk and legal staff. "When you set on these boards, you represent the town of Gilbert, and you need to do so in a way that positively reflects us," Lyons said. He moved to remove Rosenfeld effective Oct. 28.
Council member Jim Torgerson supported the motion, saying Rosenfeld's "repeated behavior towards fellow board members and volunteers has been inappropriate, rude, and condescending" and that the pattern of social-media attacks and large public records requests left the council no choice.
Council members Vice Mayor Bobby Buckley and Chuck Koprowski dissented; the motion passed 5-2. The town attorney summarized the governing authority: under Town Code section 1-205, council members may remove appointed commissioners or board members by majority vote.
Council emphasized that Rosenfeld had made significant contributions to veterans' services but said the conduct and escalation of the records dispute had damaged board functioning and volunteer participation. No ethics complaint was filed publicly during the meeting; Lyons said he had sought to mediate and to prioritize resolving the matter without public escalation before recommending removal.
Next steps: The removal is effective Oct. 28, and the council may appoint a replacement at a future meeting. Lyons asked for constructive follow-up and noted that staff had produced tens of thousands of pages in response to the records requests at significant staff cost.
