Bridgewater Board of Health elects chair, previews tobacco and food enforcement push

BRIDGEWATER — March 25, 2026 — Bridgewater's two-member Board of Health elected a chair and mapped out a busy enforcement calendar in an 18-minute organizational meeting Wednesday. Health Agent Eric Badger facilitated the session, which opened at 3:36 p.m. with one of three board seats still vacant. Kevin moved to elect Bill as chair on a 2-0 roll-call vote, a position Badger noted would require a formal re-election at the board's mandatory July 1 reorganization. Badger flagged pending tobacco-enforcement citations — covering violations such as unsecured cigar cases, flavored vaping products above the 3.5-milligram threshold, and underage sales — warning that any business appeal must come before the board within a 14-day window, potentially requiring a special session. He also previewed a six-town regional food-safety education initiative, set to be presented the following day in Halifax, aimed at reducing recurring critical violations such as improper raw-meat storage and cross-contamination across all participating towns. The board rescheduled its next regular meeting from April 22 to April 29 at 3:30 p.m. after a member reported a scheduling conflict.