Westport Historical Commission votes to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation

The Westport Historical Commission voted to go into an executive session to discuss strategy related to pending litigation identified in the meeting notice. The panel’s presiding officer declared the special meeting’s purpose and called for a motion to close the session to the public.

A commissioner moved “I move to go into executive session,” and another commissioner seconded the motion. The presiding officer then conducted a roll-call vote after identifying the voting members and noting that Mark would serve as an alternate and would not vote. The roll call produced affirmative responses and the presiding officer declared, “Motion carries. We are now in executive session. So, recording should be stopped.”

The commission’s presiding officer listed the voting members as Caroline Bolter, Timothy Bryant, Deborah Chili, William Kendall, Garrett Stuck, Ward Mooney and Katrina Strozik. The motion to enter executive session was recorded as carried; the public recording was stopped and no further public business was discussed on the record.

The transcript names the litigation at issue as “Robert Brona, trustee of the ANC nominee Realty Trust, v. Town of Westport Historical Commission” in Bristol Superior Court; the meeting notice referenced case numbers that were not read aloud. The commission did not discuss the merits of the case on the public record at this meeting.

The commission entered executive session to permit confidential discussion of litigation strategy. The meeting’s public proceedings ended when the recording was halted and the commission proceeded in closed session.