The City of Danbury Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Councilwoman Andrea Gartner, met on July 20, 2026, at 7:00 PM to consider the reappointment of Doug Polistena to the Danbury Museum and Historical Society Authority. The meeting included council members Diane Lepine, Michael Henry, Ryan Hawley (ex officio), and John Laughinghouse, as well as several museum authority members and friends.
Okay, hi. Um calling this meeting to order at seven o'clock. This is an ad hoc committee meeting for the reappointment to the Danbury Museum and Historical Society Authority of Doug Polistena. Um I'm Andrea Gartner, Councilwoman Andrea Gardner. I am the chair of this ad hoc. Um I would like to make note of others joining me. Part of the ad hoc committee is Councilwoman Diane Lepine, as well as Councilman Um Michael Henry also joining us. Um ex officio is Councilman Um Ryan Hawley and John Laughinghouse, member of the public, Joe Putnam. And we have members from the Denbury Museum Authority, I believe, and or Friends of, um, including um Doug Polestena, um Elizabeth Hudson, James Vashley, Paul Valeri, Bob Doyle, Marion Um Hasmeyer, and Lorraine Sutner. So thank you everyone for joining us. Um I I do have a letter I'm going to read into the record. This was by request with uh from uh Bridget Gerton, who is the executive director of the Danbury Museum Authority as well as the city historian and Jeff Harold, who's president of the Danbury Museum Authority Board of Trustees. Um dated July 14th, dear Chairperson Gardner. We are writing to express uh our strong support for the appointment of Doug Polistano to the Danbury Museum Authority. Doug has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the city of Danbury and to preserving and promoting its rich history. He understands the important role that the Denver Museum plays in educating our community, preserving our historic resources, and serving as a cultural asset for residents and visitors alike. Throughout his years of community involvement, Doug has consistently shown integrity, thoughtful leadership, excellent fiduciary management, and a collaborative approach to a service as a Danbury Museum trustee. He brings sound judgment, respect for differing viewpoints, and a genuine appreciation for Danbury's heritage. These qualities make him a very valuable member of the Museum Authority. We also believe it is appropriate to recognize that Mr. Polistino's appointment was originally approved without discussion regarding his residential address. The ordinance establishing the Denver Museum Authority identifies the qualifications and appointment process for authority members, and it does not include a residency requirement for appointed trustees. As such, we appreciate that the council's actions reflect the governing ordinance rather than the than adding qualifications that were not adopted by the legislative body. Consistent application of the ordinance helps ensure that appointments are based on the standards established in law and supports a fair, transparent and predictable appointment process for all prospective members. As the museum continues to expand its educational programs, preserve its collections, and strengthen partnerships throughout the community. It is essential that the authority include individuals who are dedicated to good governance and to the museum's long-term success. We believe Doug possesses those qualities and would continue to serve with distinction. We respectfully ask that you support Doug Polistena's reappointment to the Denbury Museum Authority, his experience, dedication to the community, and commitment to preserving Denver's history will continue to be a significant asset to the authority and to the Danbury citizens it serves. Thank you for your consideration and for your continued service to the City of Danbury, respectfully, as I mentioned, Jeff Terrell, who is president of the trustees and Bridget Gerton, the executive director of the museum. So thank you for allowing me to do that. So I'm going to open with a question that I have, which is going to be directed to Councilman Henry as to why you asked for this ad hoc. Thank you. Thank you so the chair. So this is uh not about the individual. Um I apologize if it looks that way. This is more about the process of how we get to the appointment of individuals. Um we don't have a simplified process or an application process to look at individuals in a large-scale number. So I know you're an alternate member. No. And going to be appointed full-time, is what the request is. So I also looked at the bylaws. I know there's nothing in there for residency required. And certain I've spoken to Taylor about this munic code also covers what um governing body is for uh residency on some of the board commissions. I know it's just this doesn't qualify. But it's more about the process, how we get there. How we how do we get more outreach from our individual residents of the city of Danbury? Have we looked at them? Have we established a pool? Have we ever had a lot of things? So just to be clear, I'm just trying to tease out why is it that you called that the ad hoc is limited, our ad hoc is limited to the reappointment to the Denver.