Outside investigator Stacy Gabriel of the Scottsdale-based law firm Gabriel & Ashworth PLLC released a report to the Sedona City Council investigating complaints made by Sedona Chief of Police Stephanie Foley against former Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow and his counter-complaint against her.
Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to make the 23-page report public. One of Foley’s four allegations was substantiated, two were partially substantiated and one was not substantiated. Four of the ex-mayor’s allegations were not substantiated and a fifth allegation was deemed “not applicable” because it involved the former city manager, not the chief.
Foley filed a formal 157-page complaint against Jablow on July 28. Jablow responded with a three-page complaint of his own filed Aug. 11, and amended on Aug. 13 and Aug. 22.
The report also revealed why Jablow was privately censured by Sedona City Council colleagues on March 29, 2024, and Nov. 18, 2024, before he was publicly censured in a 5-2 vote on Sept. 10, 2025. In the public censure resolution, council had demanded Jablow resign from office. He initially refused, then addressed those council members who voted for in censure in a Sept. 26 social media post after trying to read that same material at a council meeting on Sept. 23 — which was shut down by the Sedona city attorney because it had not been agendized — and Jablow ultimately resigned on Sept. 30.
In investigating the complaints, Gabriel interviewed Foley and Jablow, Vice Mayor Holli Ploog, City Manager Anette Spickard, Deputy City Manager Andy Dickey, Human Resources Manager Russ Martin, SPD Cmdr. Chris Dowell, Support Services Manager Erin Loeffler and Sgt. Laura Olson [formerly Laura Leon] and former City Manager Karen Osburn and Police Chief Charles Husted.
Foley’s Complaints Against Jablow
Allegation 1
Foley alleged Jablow “excessively meddles in the department’s day-to-day operational and personnel decisions with the goal of undermining her authority and sowing doubt about her competence so as to get her removed.”
This allegation was substantiated.
Jablow’s “meddling is not isolated to the department or the chief,” Gabriel determioned, with Husted, Dickey, Osburn, Spickard and Dowell reporting other inference by Jablow. Spickard added that the City Clerk and Tourism Department heads also reported improper conduct with their staffers.
Gabriel concluded that Jablow’s “actions extend beyond creating a hostile work environment”; his “serial information requests” diverted staff attention away from job duties and consumed limited city resources; council members feel “his punitive focus” on SPD is “divisive and distracting”, and “all this is being done with the intent to undermine the chief’s credibility within and outside the department.”
“The witnesses note, and this investigator finds, that his scrutiny of the chief is more frequent and critical,” Gabriel wrote, adding that the inference is not direct confrontation but challenging day-to-day decisions through repeated requests for information.
“While the line between appropriate Council oversight and inappropriate meddling into operational/personnel decisions can be blurry at times, this is not one of those times,” Gabriel wrote, and listed examples of Jablow’s actions:
- Asking that the daily police briefing include data on the number of traffic citations and warnings issued per shift by one specific traffic officer.
- Seeking information about a speeding incident that led to the discipline of that officer several years earlier during Husted’s tenure and pushing for that officer to be retroactively disciplined.
- Inviting himself to a lunch with Spickard, Foley and then-Yavapai County Supervisor Donna Michaels [D-District 3], alleging Spickard she was not allowed to meet with other elected officials without him present, especially regarding SPD.
- Contacting Spickard and Dickey over the weekend to complain that SPD failed to properly manage traffic congestion.
- Demanding that Loeffler be stripped of her “lieutenant” job title because she is not a sworn officer.
- Demanding to know the tactical equipment assigned to officers.
- Demanding that Spickard find out if a dispatcher was disciplined for not giving him “VIP treatment” when he called into a 911 dispatch line.
- Exerting pressure on SPD and other city officials to procure automated license plate readers.
- Asking Dowell to find “some positive news stories to help support the public narrative” about ALPR technology — without Foley or Spickard’s knowledge — when public opposition and scrutiny ALPRs increased.
- Demanding information about the city’s participation in a Regional Consolidation 911 Communications Feasibility Study to determine if the Foley misrepresented to the Spickard that Sedona had participated in the study, based on an alleged statement Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes that Sedona had not participated.
- Seeking information from YCSO to determine if Foley “lied” about Sedona’s level of participation in.
“The personal and targeted nature of the Mayor’s scrutiny of the Department is evidenced by several facts,” Gabriel wrote.
- First, Jablow’s requests escalated in March 2024, after Olson, then-Deputy Chief Ryan Kwitkin and former Executive Assistant to the Chief Sherri O’Connor filed formal complaints against Foley. After an outside investigation, the eight allegations were “not substantiated” but Jablow “disagreed with that finding” and “accused the investigator — without evidence — of bias,” Gabriel wrote, after which Jablow “unilaterally set about seeking information to expose the chief’s alleged mismanagement.”
- Second, Jablow did not scrutenize any other department as much as SPD.
- Third, Jablow’s scrutiny was based on “anonymous sources and former disgruntled department employees of dubious credibility,” specifically Kwitkin, who was later terminated for misconduct; O’Connor, who later resigned during performance management process; former SPD Lt. Scott Martin, who had been terminated during probation for poor performance; and former SPD Officer Kyle Nudelman, who resigned while under an Internal Affairs investigation for misconduct.
- Fourth, Jablow’s “requests have not uncovered malfeasance on the chief’s part and have been affirmatively debunked.”
Jablow stated he was critical of Foley’s use of police to ease traffic problems but Dickey “rejects” that allegation, stating Foley “has been a ‘tremendously better’ partner than her predecessors in trying to mitigate Sedona’s intractable traffic problem” and credited her with a traffic control program.
Jablow “also falsely accused the chief of lying to the city manager that the department participated in the feasibility study when it had not.” At Jablow’s insistence, SPD attended meetings about a Yavapai County regional dispatch center desired by Rhodes even though a February 2025 city report advised it because Sedona is split across Yavapai and Coconino counties.
Spickard said it was actually the Jablow, “not the chief, who lied to her when he claimed Loeffler told him she was in support of the initiative when, in fact, Loeffler told him the opposite at the Regional Communications Meeting they jointly attended on June 16, 2025.”
Jablow also accused Foley of “misrepresenting” SPD’s participation in the Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking task force, and claimed Rhodes stated SPD doesn’t participate, which was untrue.
Spickard informed Jablow on Sept. 3 that SPD’s attendance in PANT is based on officer availability; Foley attends “majority of the meetings unless she assigns another to attend in her place,” generally Dowell; Rhodes “rarely attends these meetings himself”; Cottonwood PD has pulled out of PANT completely because it was not an effective use of their resources; even though the Clarkdale Police Chief Randy Taylor is the board chairman, Clarkdale PD has no officers assigned to PANT; and the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office and Chino Valley Police Department only have intermittent participation.
Osburn repeatedly refused to pursue a grant for ALPRs that SPD did not request and council had not discussed. At Jablow’s first and second private censures, Ploog repeated Osburn’s demand that Jablow stop pursuing the ALPR issue.
“When asked if the mayor complied with her admonishment, Ploog responded, ‘absolutely not,’” Gabriel wrote. The third, public censure, was due to his continued interference with staff, Gabriel wrote. Osburn, Spickard and Ploog stated “that they addressed this issue with the mayor on multiple occasions and that his response was typically defensive and defiant.”
Jablow “is particularly critical of the Chief’s decision to assign Loeffler a lieutenant job title and her failure to mandate officers work overtime to manage traffic congestion,” Gabriel wrote. “Although the mayor claims he respects the council-manager boundaries, he feels compelled to shine a light on her alleged deficiencies out of concern for the welfare of the department, not a desire to get the chief fired. In fact, he insisted he has never lobbied to remove the chief. This investigator is not persuaded by the mayor’s attempt to justify his actions. Although the mayor insists he respects the boundaries between the council and staff, his actions plainly do not match his words.”
Spickard stated to Gabriel that Jablow fed her a “steady barrage of ‘negative’ information about the Chief coming from unidentified sources,” “has never seen an elected official go after a city leader like this” in her 30-year government career and that working with Jablow “has made her tenure at Sedona a ‘pretty awful experience so far.’”
Allegation 2
Foley alleged Jablow bypasses her to obtain information from her subordinates as part of his calculated effort to undermine her authority.
This allegation was partially substantiated.
Osburn and Loeffler confirmed that Jablow communicated directly with Kwitkin and later Dowell about SPD matters, but that these stopped on July 2, 2025, when Dowell requested that Jablow follow the chain of command. However, Gabriel found that Jablow “made disparaging insinuations” about Foley to Loeffler and Dowell.
Loeffler stated Jablow made “disrespectful” comments to and “undermining of the chief” at a meeting on June 16, 2025, while Dowell stated that he viewed Jablow’s comments to him about ALPRs “as a swipe at the chief.”
Gabriel determined Jablow “has generally contacted the city manager to seek information” about SPD “However, by his own admission, he has inappropriately crossed the line on a few occasions.”
Allegation 3
Foley alleged Jablow colluded with current and former disgruntled department employees to dig up negative information about Foley in hopes this will lead to her removal and that Jablow orchestrated the HR complaint filed against her by Kwitkin, Olson and O’Connor.
This allegation was partially substantiated.
According to Gabriel, Jablow “acknowledged that he has had contact with several former employees who were critical of the chief’s leadership of the department, but does not view those conversations as improper because they no longer work for the city.” Gabriel concluded that discussions with ex-employees do not violate any rule or protocol.
Olson denied that Jablow influenced her HR complaint and she was unaware if Jablow influenced Kwitkin or O’Connor to file their respective HR complaints.
Gabriel was not able to find sufficient evidence that Jablow instigated the anonymous and employee complaints against Foley, “accordingly, the allegation of collusion is not substantiated,” Gabriel wrote. However, she “rejects the mayor’s assertion that he has not lobbied to get the chief fired” which was confirmed by Ploog, Dickey and Spickard.
Jablow’s statement to Keene that he wanted Foley removed was “a fact the mayor did not deny,” Gabriel wrote. “The overwhelming weight of the evidence supports the conclusion that the mayor has embarked on a fishing expedition to get the chief fired based on personal animus fueled by dubious information shared by unreliable sources.”
Allegation 4
Foley alleged Jablow’s harassment of Foley is gender-based.
This allegation was not substantiated.
All witnesses “painted a picture of the [former] mayor as an ‘equal opportunity’ bully without regard to the person’s gender,” Gabriel wrote. All the witnesses, except Loeffler, rejected the gender-based discrimination allegation with Husted, Dickey and former Magistrate Judge Paul Schlegel expressed they “felt bullied by the mayor to bend to his demands.”
Jablow was also reportedly critical of former male Police Chiefs Ray Cota and David McGill.
Gabriel determined that Foley waited three years to report the alleged discrimination, “which calls the sincerity of the claim into question”; Foley’s “unsupported comparison between the mayor’s treatment of her and her male predecessors … does not evidence gender bias” but rather the hostile relationship “is due to [Jablow’s] belief that she is unqualified for the job and has not fully supported the mayor’s pet projects, not her gender or his support for a ‘hypermasculine’ police subculture.”
Additionally, Jablow was reportedly “excited” in 2022 to hire Foley as the city’s first female chief and voted in favor of hiring both Osburn and Spickard as city managers over male candidates.
Jablow‘s Complaints Against Foley
In his complaint, Jablow alleged Foley attempted to obstruct his oversight of SPD and discourage his pursuit of transparency via public records requests.
Allegation 1
Jablow alleged Foley made disparaging remarks about his trustworthiness to then-Executive Assistant to the City Manager Karen Kwitkin, the wife of Deputy Chief Ryan Kwitkin.
These allegations were not substantiated.
Jablow “did not provide any evidence to corroborate these allegations” and Foley had no recollection of them.
“Whether the chief made the alleged comments is highly questionable given the source of the information,” Gabriel wrote. “The mayor himself acknowledged that the Kwitkins are not credible people. Even if the comments were made, it is unlikely the mayor viewed them as rising to the level of harassment as he waited two years to file this complaint and only after the chief filed her harassment complaint against the mayor. It is more likely the mayor alleged harassment as a tit-for-tat response to Foley’s complaint.”
Allegation 2
Jablow alleged the Sedona Red Rock News submitted a records request for his “personal cell phone records in what appeared to be a coordinated attempt to discredit me by implying conversation with Deputy Chief Kwitkin.”
These allegations were not substantiated.
Jablow “conceded he has no proof,” Gabriel wrote. Foley also denied the allegation.
Jablow and Gabriel did not contact the NEWS to ask why the newspaper filed the records request, nor has Jablow ever addressed this records request with the NEWS journalist who filed it.
Allegation 3
Jablow alleged he was falsely accused by Osburn of anonymously submitting a letter to the NEWS regarding Foley
This allegation is not applicable as it was directed at Osburn, not Foley.
Allegation 4
Jablow alleged he had been routinely excluded from SPD events like retirements, promotions and swearing-in ceremonies, unless he learned of them through unofficial channels.”
This allegation was not substantiated.
There is no protocol that dictates when council members should be invited to staff or ceremonial events. Foley stated SPD would recognize internal promotions before the City Council, however, Osburn ended this practice because other departments were offended that their promotions were not similarly celebrated, Gabriel wrote. Spickard followed this practice.
Jablow “insisted he be notified of department events and has shown up uninvited to events on a few occasions,” Gabriel wrote, adding that Foley “consistently notified Spickard when events are scheduled and leaves it up to Spickard to determine whether to extend him an invitation.”
Jablow acknowledged he has no information to suggest the chief objects to his attendance at these events.
Allegation 5
Jablow alleged Foley filed a hostile work complaint against him shortly after an alleged relationship with a city staff member not in the SPD, and that the timing of this complaint was retaliatory, aimed at deflecting scrutiny.
This allegation was not substantiated.
The mayor offered no evidence and the investigator found no evidence.
Rather Foley stated she filed the complaint after “Dowell told her the mayor stated he talks to Dowell to annoy her. She described this as her ‘breaking point’ after years of putting up with his hostile treatment,” Gabriel wrote.
Three censures of Jablow by Sedona City Council
The city report also revealed the reasons behind two private censures of Jablow and before his public censure. Both private censures were in executive session, but in releasing the investigation, council made these censures public record.
Ploog, supported by other council members, issued the first censure on March 29, 2024, after learning that Jablow, without the knowledge of the council or Osburn, asked Assistant to the City Manager Karen Kwitkin, the wife of then-Deputy Police Chief Ryan Kwitkin, to change her job title to “Assistant to the City Manager and Mayor.” Ploog admonished Jablow for overstepped his role and to stop meddling in city departments’ affairs and to not engage directly with city staff about personnel matters.
Ploog, supported by other council members, issued the second censure on Nov. 18, 2024, after former Sedona Deputy City Manager Joanne Keene — now Flagstaff Deputy City Manager — told Ploog that during an interaction with Jablow he “commented something to the effect, ‘I’m working really hard to get the Police Chief fired.’”
Keene was “appalled” by comment, “as was Ploog,” the investigator wrote.
Ploog confronted Jablow, he denied making the comment, but Ploog “did not believe him as he had repeatedly made it clear to Ploog that he wanted the chief fired,” the investigator wrote.
On Sept. 10, 2025, council voted 5-2 to censure Jablow for seven reasons:
- interference with city staff and departments
- creating and fostering a hostile work environment
- breaking the confidentiality of attorney-client privilege
- circumvention of city council process
- acting beyond the authority of the office of mayor
- acting unilaterally
- violating the principles of ethical conduct for elected officials.
After initially declining the council’s call to resign in the censure resolution, Jablow resigned Sept. 30, 2025.
