Some members of the Westerly Town Council are questioning whether the town misspent taxpayer money on legal research into a closely watched public access matter involving the Watch Hill Lighthouse that was not submitted before a critical deadline and still has not been released to the public. The matter is expected to come up at a special town council meeting on Sept. 16.
Recent calls for an explanation from the law firm of Town Solicitor William Conley relate to a controversy that started more than a year ago when the federal government announced plans to transfer the Watch Hill Lighthouse to a private nonprofit.
That news sparked pushback from fishermen and shoreline access advocates who worried the ownership change could jeopardize the public’s ability to use the lighthouse property, given what they consider the increasing efforts of property owners to privatize the Watch Hill area.
At the time, the town council instructed Conley to research the status of the access road leading to the lighthouse land. Property owners in the area maintain Lighthouse Road is private, but access advocates argued the town had not adequately examined whether a public right-of-way exists there.
Conley made contact with the federal agency executing the deed, the deadline for transferring the property was delayed, and Conley’s office promised the town council and U.S. government it would send a report and legal analysis to federal lawyers in charge of finalizing the transfer.
While the town paid nearly $50,000 for the legal work, documents newly released by the U.S. General Services Administration and Westerly show the research documents and written report were never actually submitted to the federal government. The failure has caused two councilors to question Conley’s handling of several pricey shoreline access legal fights, and his arrangement as solicitor for the town.
This story was reported by The Public's Radio. You can read the entire story here.
