Does Fairhaven Have Its Own Watergate Scandal? [OPINION]

The beautiful, and historic seaside town of Fairhaven might also be the scene of a modern-day Watergate-style burglary by high-tech methods.

There have been some disputes and conflicts between elected officials and some town employees over the years in Fairhaven. That is about the standard in any local government. Bosses and employees have conflicts in the public and private sectors.

But a high-tech invasion into the town's computer system is way out of the normal.

The destruction of public records and the altering of other public records is not a normal event.

An invasion into the town's computer system after hours from a remote location isn't something that happens in a town like Fairhaven.

Except it apparently did happen. It happened to the Board of Health.

The elected members of the Fairhaven Board of Health revealed at a recent public meeting that their computer system had been accessed after hours by a computer outside of the town's system. They revealed that the minutes of some meetings that were recorded on Word documents had been destroyed. They also alleged that .PDF files of past meeting minutes had been altered.

This is a major attack on the integrity of government.

Other cities and towns, including New Bedford, have had hackers attack their system. In those cases, it is usually a foreign-based gang looking for a ransom. This is different. There is no mention of a ransom demand. This looks like an inside job.

Watergate started out as a "third-rate burglary" and it resulted in the president resigning.

The FBI will be here soon if it isn't already.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.