No wrongdoing by Colchester Town Clerk, Attorney General’s Office says

An investigation into Colchester Town Clerk Gayle Furman by the Office of the Attorney General found no misconduct, willful or material neglect of duty or incompetence warranting removal, according to a brief letter sent to the Town of Colchester.

Former Colchester First Selectman Andreas Bisbikos investigated Furman’s use of Preservation of Historic Documents funds and the MERS account for hotel stays during town clerk conferences and her use of the town’s tax-exempt status, ultimately concluding that she had improperly used that money. Bisbikos had requested Furman’s resignation, but she refused, and he sent an investigation request to the attorney general.

The purchases were uncovered by former Colchester Finance Director Mary Williamson , who has since been terminated in an ongoing battle with the current town administration. Bisbikos’ investigation was presented during a raucous Board of Selectmen meeting in September of 2023 that devolved quickly into chaos.

Furman and her supporters on the Board of Selectman labeled it an illegal investigation, and President of the Town Clerks Association Patricia Spruance spoke in support of Furman, saying the funds Furman used were for town clerk administrative costs and are allowable under state law.

Town clerk is an elected position, and only the Attorney General can seek to remove a town clerk outside of an election. Furman was re-elected in 2023, when the town administration shifted largely to Democrats under Bernie Dennler.

Williamson, on the other hand, was quickly placed on administrative leave for several months pending an investigation into her activities as finance director, including inappropriate approval of town purchases, mismanagement of town funds, and improper use of vacation time.

Williamson refused to cooperate with the investigation and disputes the findings . She is arguing before the Connecticut Board of Labor Relations that she should have been represented by the town’s municipal employees’ union – something both First Selectman Dennler and the union itself say is not accurate, particularly after they entered a memorandum of agreement that the finance director position was no longer a part of the union just before she was placed on administrative leave.

Williamson was officially terminated in April. Her dispute before the labor board is pending.

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