By Jen Fifield |Arizona Republic
A Gilbert man is asking a judge to scrap the town’s newly approved $515 million bond program because town officials targeted his opposition campaign.
Town code officials in September took down at least 57 signs Jim Torgeson put up opposed to the town’s transportation spending request that was on the Nov. 2 ballot, according to Torgeson. He owns Mesa Sign Shop and printed the nearly 100 signs himself.
Torgeson filed a lawsuit against Gilbert in Maricopa County Superior Court on Monday, claiming the town “organized a wide-ranging effort to deprive Torgeson of his free speech rights by removing these signs.”
Gilbert officials have told Torgeson that the signs, placed on street corners and other town right-of-ways, broke the town’s code regulations. Torgeson argues that his signs were protected under a state law that allows political signs, but the town disagrees.
Torgeson is asking the court to void the election results.
