Dartmouth Select Board Suspends Russell Mills Historic District Commissioner Over Lawsuit Violations

DARTMOUTH — June 1, 2026 — Dartmouth Select Board suspends historic district commissioner over open meeting law and ethics violations. The board voted Monday to immediately suspend Andrew Spongberg from the Russell Mills Historic District Commission after Town Administrator Cody Haddad reported the commission had conducted private phone calls and email exchanges that violated the state's open meeting law and then used those communications to authorize a lawsuit — Russells Mills Historic District Commission v. Buzzards Bay Coalition — without a properly noticed public meeting. Haddad said the improper litigation has cost the town "thousands and thousands of dollars." Formal removal will proceed under the town charter. In other action, the board introduced Jennifer Miller as the new Director of Environmental Affairs and immediately appointed her as the town's representative to the Buzzards Bay Action Committee; unanimously approved entertainment licenses for the Sail Loft at 246 Elm Street and Anchor Rock Vineyards at 205 Bakerville Road; and received a feasibility study presentation on Apponagansett Park and Dias Landing identifying a heavily eroded seawall and sea level rise concerns, with phased grant-funded improvements planned.