According to an Associated Press report, on July 11, the FBI raided the Bridgewater, Connecticut Town Hall for, among other records, documents relating to a trust fund established in the 1920s to benefit the town’s needy. Until recently the fund has been controlled by the town’s First Selectmen of nearly thirty years, William Stuart, MFH of the Fairfield County Hounds. Critics accuse Stuart of channeling disbursements to friends and allies.
Stuart, who has kept development at bay in his rural town has often come up against controversy over his methods. He accuses those enemies of spreading falsehoods to investigators. One in particular, a lawyer, has, according to the AP report, been stymied in his efforts to build a house on mountain ridge-top property that he purchased near Stuart’s home and kennels.
One Bridgewater resident interviewed gave Stuart credit for his preservation efforts, while acknowledging that his tactics might be bold at times.
Click for Michael Melia’s Associated Press article in boston.com.
Posted September 4, 2012
