Weeks after losing his reelection bid, Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn looked into changing the town's pension plan so he would be eligible for a pension.  The News-Times reports that an independent investigation was launched by newly elected First Selectman Tara Carr after noticing an invoice from a law firm that provided outside legal counsel on the matter. 

The Board of Selectmen would have needed to vote to approve the change in the town's pension plan. 

According to the investigation summary, the town's Human Resources Director, Finance Director and chair of the Retirement Benefits Advisory Committee expressed concerns to Dunn about the proposal.  Timothy Herbst, the former Republican first selectman of Trumbull, and an attorney, interviewed the three as part of the investigation. 

The published report says the invoice from outside legal counsel on Brookfield’s pension plan showed the town owed about $9,200 in fees.  Dunn reportedly told Herbst that the idea was considered before the election during a conversation 'in caucus’ with Selectman Susan Slater.  According to the News-Times, Dunn told the investigator previous amendments did not consider years of service as a factor in pension eligibility, and that's what he was looking into. 

Under the Amendment, the First Selectman would have been entitled to a pension after six years of service, if the employee made a 5% matching contribution over the same six-year period.  Dunn was not paying into a pension fund since he was not slated to receive a pension.