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Select Board demands accounting of town funds tied to Swanson employment matter, sets July 27 deadline
Summary
The Woodstock Select Board voted to require municipal manager Eric Duffy to provide a written accounting of town payments related to the Village police employment matter by July 27; residents repeatedly urged an independent audit and faster timeline during extended public comment.
The Woodstock Select Board voted July 7 to require municipal manager Eric Duffy to produce a written accounting of all town disbursements related to the Village police employment matter involving Joseph Swanson for fiscal years 2024–2025, to be provided by July 27 for discussion at the Select Board meeting that day.
The board debated whether the request should be a joint ask with the Village trustees — a provision members removed to avoid delay. As drafted and amended, the letter asks the town manager to provide documentation within the stated timeframe so the board can hold a public hearing to determine whether any town funds should be reimbursed or ratified. A motion to set the deadline and require the documents passed on an in-meeting voice vote; a formal roll-call tally was not stated in the transcript.
Why it matters: dozens of residents called into the meeting to press for transparency and for accountability measures after public records and court filings raised questions about expenditures related to the Swanson matter. Multiple speakers urged the board to seek an independent audit rather than rely solely on manager-produced documents.
During public comment one remote participant said, "He stole money from us," and pressed the board to remove involved trustees from the decision process. Residential commentators and commenters online repeatedly demanded an independent investigation, faster deadlines, and recusal for trustees with potential conflicts of interest.
What the board directed: the Select Board removed language requiring a joint request with the Village to avoid postponement, instructed staff to aim for production of the documents by July 26 so the board could discuss them on July 27, and agreed that if documents are produced sooner they will be reviewed as received. The board also asked the municipal manager to prepare a narrative explanation to accompany the accounting.
Next steps: The Select Board intends to hold a public hearing on the accounting once the documents are produced; the record shows community members expecting that meeting to inform any decisions about reimbursement or ratification.
