Stonington — The town’s first Ethics Commission elected a chairperson and began investigating two ethics complaints on Wednesday.

The Board of Selectmen appointed five regular members and three alternate members to the commission last month after the town attorney received two similar complaints alleging violations of the ethics ordinance and determined the complaints warranted a commission to investigate them.

This is the first time an ethics commission has been formed since voters approved an ethics ordinance 25 years ago.

The commission’s investigation is confidential and must be completed within 90 days.

All the information supplied to or received by the commission during the investigation will remain confidential, as specified by state law, unless the commission finds there is a probable cause for a hearing, or the target of the complaint requests the entire record and any hearings be open to the public.

Board members each chose the eight members they wished to appoint to the commission, and unanimously agreed on five members of the commission. Those five members were selected as regular members of the commission.

Zachary Boudah, a Democrat, was elected chairperson on Wednesday. According to his application, Boudah is an English major at the University of Connecticut and served two terms as student body president at Avery Point.

Former Stonington Community Center President Donald Steinhoff, a Republican, noted in his application he had recently retired as the Director of Human Resources in Ledyard and is also a retired member of the Connecticut Bar Association.

Democrat Jodie Kubachka is a retired manager and human resources professional. She noted that she holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and her coursework included ethics and medical ethics.

Retired Air Force Judge Advocate Jeanne Meyer, a Democrat, noted that she had served as the senior legal adviser to the Air Force Inspector General and had experience in ethics related investigations.

Republican Robert Taylor is a practicing attorney and noted in his application that he had experience overseeing ethics investigations.

First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough and Selectwoman Deborah Downie both agreed on two Republican alternate members: former tax collector Linda Camelio and former Water Pollution Control Authority board member Marc Ginsberg as well as unaffiliated voter Laura Jackson, who works in the nonprofit sector.