BRUNSWICK

The first, and likely only, meeting of the Brunswick Development Corporation’s bylaws review committee “went well,” one board member said afterward.

Board members William Morrell and John Richardson Jr. met Monday morning, accompanied by staff member Denise Clavette, to discuss updates to the publicprivate nonprofit group’s governance stucture.

Richardson is a sitting town councilor who also sits on the BDC board; Clavette is the town’s business development manager.

Proposed changes to the BDC bylaws — wrought in the aftermath of controversy surrounding a loan to the husband of a former board member — include trading an ex-officio position, currently held by town Finance Director John Eldridge, for a seat to be occupied by a private citizen.

Other measures could include implementation of an ethics code and stricter parameters regarding who is or isn’t eligible for loans; creation of a website with contact and explanatory information; and adoption of bylaws addressing conflicts of interest.

Richardson told The Times Record he and Morrell “incorporated nearly all of the suggestions” discussed during the board’s Sept. 18 meeting. The changes will be presented to the entire board during its Oct. 16 meeting, with a special BDC board meeting scheduled for Oct. 23 to approve the updates.

Review subcommittee members also were appointed during the meeting Sept. 18. The review and bylaws changes gained accelerated status after a recent controversial loan to a local businessman.

In July, the board approved a $247,000, threeyear loan for new vehicles and two new employees to Brunswick Taxi, a local business owned by the husband of a former BDC board member and town council chairwoman.

According to the loan’s terms, the principal and almost $50,000 in accrued interest would be “forgiven” if Dale King, the taxi company’s owner, followed the terms of the agreement, which included creation of four full-time jobs.