Westerly Town Council Holds ‘Infomercial’ for Embattled Solicitor

Westerly Town Solicitor William Conley defended himself on Sept. 16 against criticism from the public and some members of the Westerly Town Council over his office’s failure to submit legal research and analysis to the federal government before the transfer of the Watch Hill Lighthouse to a private non-profit earlier this year.

Conley also denied accusations from one councilor that the town council was not adequately updated on the status of his research and communications with the General Services Administration. He said he and the attorneys in his office did “what excellent lawyers do.”

Conley’s hourlong presentation and discussion with councilors came after a report published Friday by The Public’s Radio detailing the failure publicly for the first time. The town council had scheduled a special meeting solely to review ongoing legal cases in a “possible” executive session but moved one agenda item on a related public records appeal by The Public’s Radio to open session for what became Conley’s defense of his actions.

Monday night was the third time under the current town council Conley was given meeting time to respond to continued public criticism.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.