BOF Chair and Ambler Farm Attorney Exchange Tense Emails Over Lease as BOS Likely Votes Tonight 

The dispute over whether a proposed lease between Wilton and Ambler Farm is in the Town’s best interest will likely be decided Tuesday night, May 20, in a pivotal Board of Selectmen vote.

The lease would be the first one to formalize the relationship between the Town of Wilton and Friends of Ambler Farm (FOAF), the nonprofit that has managed and grown the farm for more than 20 years on behalf of the Town.

While supporters call the lease long overdue and a necessary framework to support FOAF’s work, the Board of Finance (BOF) is unanimous in its objections over the language and financial particulars of the long-term lease. 

BOF members say the proposed agreement could lock the Town into decades of financial obligations without enough safeguards, oversight or flexibility. They’ve taken the rare step of issuing an opinion to the BOS formally expressing that concern.

Now, an unusual exchange of pointed emails between Board of Finance Chair Matt Raimondi and FOAF’s attorney Doug Bayer have spotlighted deeper tensions over the lease — and over how major decisions like this one should be made in the first place. 

Email Exchange Turns Personal

Bayer, a longtime Wilton resident, emailed a strongly worded letter to the BOS on May 15, questioning the BOF’s motive and understanding of the lease, suggesting its members hadn’t read it carefully or followed the public process.

“It is clear from the Board of Finance’s [May 13] discussion they are not appropriately educated as to the terms of the Lease and have not reviewed the public hearing which was held by the Board of Selectmen on May 5, 2025, … It is unfortunate that the Board of Finance has publicly discussed the Lease and taken such [a] contrary opinion without being fully informed about the actual rights and obligations of the Town and Friends.”

Raimondi fired back a reply defending the board’s review and accusing Bayer of mischaracterizing their role and responsibilities.

“We all want Ambler Farm to succeed,” Raimondi wrote. “But that success must be built on a foundation that’s financially sustainable, legally sound, and equitable for Wilton’s taxpayers over the long term.”

Raimondi also took issue with the tone of Bayer’s email’s “and the suggestions — both explicit and implied — that the BOF acted without proper knowledge or diligence.”

“I … can assure you that our analysis is based on a full reading of the lease,” he wrote. “Moreover, the BOF includes members with deep professional expertise in finance, law, and real estate … We reviewed this document carefully before proffering our opinion.”

Bayer suggested the BOF distorted the relationship between the Town and Ambler Farm officials. 

“Underlying the Board of Finance’s misconception is the notion that this lease negotiation was an adversarial process between two arms-length parties … The Board of Finance appears to view the Lease as a takeover of the property by Friends, when, in fact, Friends is acting as an agent of the Town, helping the Town fulfill its responsibilities related to the property.”

While the BOF has not publicly painted an adversarial picture of negotiations between the two parties, one BOF member did question the work and judgment of the town’s attorney, Doug Lamonte of Bercham Moses PC, in relation to the negotiations and recommendation of the lease as written.

“I cannot understand … how our town attorney could have recommended this to us as being fair on behalf of the taxpayers,” BOF Vice Chair Stewart Koenigsberg said.

What the Lease Says — And What’s Under Dispute

The BOF has several concerns, starting with the length of the lease. The initial term is 10 years (ends Dec. 31, 2035) with eight 10-year extension options. FOAF has the first right to exercise each 10-year option, but after that the BOS can then take action to terminate the lease. If FOAF exercises an option and the BOS takes no action, the lease automatically extends for the next 10-year period.

The BOF sees that as a 90-year commitment, “unless the Town actively intervenes at each juncture. That’s not a misunderstanding of the language — it’s a reflection of how it operates in practice,” Raimondi wrote.

Bayer called that assertion “misleading to the public and factually inaccurate,” arguing that the lease is effectively a 10-year lease because at the end of any 10-year option period, the BOS could review the terms and renew or terminate as it wished. 

The lease also makes the FOAF responsible for basic maintenance and minor repairs, while the town is responsible for repairs above an annual limit of $10,000 and for utilities above $1,000 each year — with no annual cap and no requirement for FOAF to seek advance approval before initiating work. 

Since the Town took possession of the property in 1999, the deed requires it to maintain the grounds, as well as certain structures, keeping the property viable for recreational and educational purposes.

FOAF was formed in 2005 to serve as the town’s steward for the property. Over the years, as it has continued to grow and expand its mission, its need for better facilities to run its operations has also increased. However, some officials have questioned whether the town remains fully responsible for augmenting Ambler Farm’s expanded mission, asking if those needs have gone beyond the requirements of the original deed.

The BOF members maintain that, according to the lease, FOAF can hypothetically embark on any number of costly repairs without Town approval or input, but the Town would still be responsible for the bills. BOF members worry this could expose taxpayers to unrestricted financial obligations for decades.

Again, Bayer called the idea that the Town would have to fund “unlimited” expenses — including operating costs — “equally misleading.” He wrote that the FOAF has always funded its own operations and that the lease aligns with the parties’ current arrangement on utilities and repairs — and even adds a new practice that benefits the Town.

“The only change relating to utilities and repairs in the Lease is that Friends will now be sharing a portion of those costs with the Town,” Bayer wrote.

FOAF officials have long maintained that they’ve worked hard to build a unique and valuable asset, and reinvest what they raise back into the farm. They argue that they’ve been a cost savings to the Town, investing over $11 million to run day-to-day operations and defray capital work that the Town would otherwise be responsible for, on things like roof replacement and other major repairs.

FOAF doesn’t presently have the authority to initiate unsanctioned repairs or upgrade work with any expectation that the town will pay for it, as without a lease, there is no legal obligation standing.

Raimondi made that point in his response.

“This lease goes beyond informal stewardship and formalizes FOAF’s exclusive operational control of a Town-owned property, permits revenue retention without cost-sharing, and delegates the right to license the premises for private and residential use, while assigning various funding obligations to the Town,” he wrote.

Raimondi wrote that they had no expectation the current FOAF officials would ever take advantage of the Town, but the Town could not to leave itself vulnerable if the parties or situations changed down the road.

“This is not a question of FOAF’s good faith or public spirit,” Raimondi wrote. “It is a matter of sound public contracting.

The FOAF and its supporters maintain that these terms reflect the way things already function today — the lease simply formalizes existing roles and responsibilities. They argue that the agreement will help FOAF secure grants, improve facilities and plan long-term — something difficult to do under the current informal arrangement.

Responding to Raimondi’s pushback, Bayer sent an email suggesting they while he still believes BOF members have made certain assertions based on an inaccurate reading of the lease, they should agree to disagree.

“I … recognize that reasonable people can disagree and will leave it to Town Counsel to advise the Board on the legal ramifications of the Lease rather than debate our respective positions,” he wrote. 

But he added a clarification, that his comments weren’t meant to question the personal qualifications or integrity of BOF members.

“As an individual who has served in Town government for a significant portion of my time in town, including six years on the planning and zoning commission, I have a great appreciation and recognition for the effort of those who serve on volunteer boards,” Bayer said, “especially the Board of Finance.”

Should Residents Have the Final Say?

While the Town’s attorney has said that BOS has the authority to approve the lease on its own, the question of whether this kind of long-term agreement should be put to a Special Town Meeting (STM) has quietly simmered in the background.

As GOOD Morning Wilton reported earlier this month, some residents — and at least one member of the BOS — have questioned whether such a binding, multi-decade deal involving a public property should be subject to broader voter approval.

“It’s a 90-year lease, and the voters of Wilton should decide,” Selectwoman Kim Healy said at the May 5 BOS meeting.

Since that discussion, at least a dozen residents have expressed their desire to see this particular lease signed, despite BOF concerns.

“The lease is probably something that should have been done some time ago to avoid confusion of what each entity is responsible for,” resident Scott Schwartz wrote. “I think it is a great idea to codify what has been an informal agreement to this point.”

“The lease itself seems to be fair and balanced in terms of responsibilities of the landlord and tenant,” he added.

No formal plan for a Town Meeting has been introduced, and the Selectmen appear ready to vote at their meeting Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, both in person and via Zoom, and public comment is on the agenda.

Disclosure: Friends of Ambler Farm attorney Doug Bayer is also the attorney for GOOD Morning Wilton. He has not been consulted in advance of this article’s publication.

Editor’s note: the article has been updated to include a paragraph clarify that Friends of Ambler Farm has also invested its own money into day-to-day capital repair and improvements, and has been a cost savings to the town over the last two decades. That paragraph was omitted due to an editing error.