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.

So that's just a process issue is what it is.

Simplified process issue.

Okay, not about an individual at all.

Uh I do want to clarify the, and if somebody can speak to me from the board, uh the membership that you have now.

That would be through the chair.

Through the chair board through the chairman board.

Whoever could answer that question.

What's the question?

How many members do we have now that are on the Danbury Museum and Historical Society by name?

Is there someone who can answer that question?

I I could just answer by saying you have an updated list.

Was that an actual?

Yeah, we haven't made any changes.

So Mayor Als is still an alternate.

Oh no, then you don't have my alternate.

I'm sorry.

So that's why I thought the last one we gave you was correct.

Um, Madam Chairperson, to just clarify, are you talking about how many are on the board of trustees or how many members of the friends of the uh of our friends?

So it looks like your historical society and museum uh members is what it looks like.

That's correct.

That's our board.

Yeah, that's it.

So is so you're talking about the authority board versus the friends of the historical society board.

Okay.

This is the governing body that you're being appointed to, I believe, right?

Correct.

Okay.

So is there still through the chair?

Is there still Reverend Brandon Whitfitfield on the he's still there?

I don't see him listed, which is unusual on this list, even though it's not as up to date or current, but I don't see him listed here.

But I do see Doug Polanies to list it as a full-time member.

There's three alternate spots here.

And just for clarity, you're referring to something I don't think that everyone else has while referring to the board.

This is what yeah, I apologize.

This would be an older, so we have a live list, and at one point it was sent over, and I'm clearly out of date, so I apologize.

So it so is there still a Reverend with Brandon Whitfield's.

Yes, I think that's been asked and answered.

That's correct, right?

Yes.

Okay, so that would present the issue.

How many alternates are there to the chair?

And I I just I'm Councilman Henry, to what end is this clear.

I just want to make sure that this is not being overappointed to a tenth member versus okay.

Thank you for clarifying that.

Okay.

So it looks like it's and your second question is how many alternate members?

And do we have an answer to how many alternate members?

Hi, I'm Mary and Hess.

Um the Reverend has attended one meeting in many years.

So we are actually have been in discussion about requesting his resignation because he does not he does not engage in the board.

So um appointing Doug who does engage in the board at every meeting and offer support in every way, um, is very positive for the board.

We just need to do our due diligence in asking the reverend to resign from the board.

Through the chair.

Does that answer your question?

Uh it does.

So it still shows the Reverend as a full-time member.

Yes, because I believe he holds that position until otherwise discussed with him.

Which if he's viewing this live or we'll go back to it, we'll understand that it's a conversation the board would like to have.

Understood.

Through the chair.

So he hasn't resigned yet.

So you're still at nine members of the full-time authority, three alternates.

That means if we appoint Mr.

Paulinista, we're at a tenth member that goes outside their bylaws.

So okay, and I believe Chief.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

I just want to make a comment because I don't have him on my updated list.

He could have had a term expire.

I don't know what actual date he was appointed, but I don't believe it was during this administration, and the terms are for three years.

So I don't have him.

Um I don't know if anyone recalls when he was appointed originally.

I believe um the former mayor Mark Bowton was still in office when he was originally appointed to 10 years ago.

Okay.

Can I make a comment on the process as it was asked?

Yes, so um so uh I don't want to speak entirely for Bridget, but this isn't this is a an authority that Bridget works really hard to ensure is filled with people who are um advocates and will work uh with the museum, and they usually go to her with interest, uh, which is a little unique typically we get letters to the mayor.

Um we don't often get letters from the museum.

I don't think I've gotten one in my time, and I've been there for about 10 years.

If it wasn't initiated by Bridget, uh so like Mr.

Palestena, I was working for Mayor Mark at the time that came in through 2019, but all of these recommendations typically come from somebody who's are on the board or Bridget Girl and because they uh have those conversations about somebody who would be uh somebody they would want to recommend.

However, we also do have it online.

Everyone does know boards and commissions are available.

We do get letters routinely about different organizations.

I just have not gotten one in recent from anybody to serve this position that uh we put Doug's name up for.

That's it.

But if through the chair, so if I look at the alternates now, Doug Polinese is an alternate.

Lauren Sottner is an alternate.

And who was the third was Mayor Alves was an alternate at one point two.

He had resigned to launch the alternate position, third alternate field.

Uh Lorraine, I believe you're still an alternate.

Yeah.

So if there's three alternates and nine full-time members, and we appoint Doug to a full-time member with three alternates, you're over, exceeding your bylaws.

If we can clarify that at this meeting, we can move forward.

If we can't, I would table it and bring it back with the information.

I think we can clarify it while we're here.

I'll just read out my active members and my list here.

So I'm I apologize.

I didn't print this out.

So it's that's why I had asked previously I asked previously for an updated list to the I apologize for that.

Council member.

So um Madam Chair, um, we do keep our active member of board members on our website, and it as uh President Jeffrey Harold, Vice President Elizabeth Hudson, second VP, Robert Young, who's not in attendance, Secretary of Maryam Hesmeyer, Treasurer James Beshley, trustee Paul Valeri, Doug, Robert Doyle, Sidney Putnam, and alternate as Lorraine as our only alternate is what we have currently posted on our website as our active board.

Okay, thank you.

That's eight people.

Yeah, the chair.

So that's a total of eight people.

So to the chair again and to the commission committee.

Just I'd like to hear so we have nine and one alternate, so ten people total, nine um as per the bylaws.

Or thank you.

Reverend Whitfield's name mentioned as a full-time member, though, because he still is a full-time member.

Well, we're getting a clarification.

Because some of the terms expire.

His term had expired, and we were just waiting for a formal letter from him, Madam Chairperson, um, to make it fully official, but he has not been active or reappointed uh since his three-year term has expired.

Just make the comment that even with the a um if Pastor Whitfield is number nine, he'd still be sitting as the ninth full-time member, but his term has expired, so he's not on the website, he's not on my list, which means when we started this to 2023 when we were in, he wasn't on there, but you have it, so I I mean it must have been an old version.

This list actually began um by in my office years ago under Mark Down because there was never a list.

So there was a it was pretty messy, but uh Bridget does a really good job at updating the website so that we know who's active and who's not, and through the chair, it does show more than one individual is expired out of oh yeah.

So it's it's not specific to Reverend Whitfield.

Sure.

There are more other people here that are out of term.

Yeah, the last one we appointed.

I know together was uh Sidney Putnam we appointed not too long ago.

Um then Lorraine, I think yours was updated more recently, right?

Correct.

I just joined in February.

Okay, so yours is uh dated as well.

Sure.

The majority, the more majority of the board is out of term limits at this point.

I feel that Chief O'Brien is updating the current the status of the current board.

That's what we do.

So we go to individual dunno which is now right.

We can accept that as the the current standing of the board members that's what or the authority, yep.

Through the chair, but we're coming in for an active appointment now, it should be resolved before we get to this meeting.

So these questions in process are understandable for everybody who's existing here.

Um but I feel that Chief O'Brien has given an accounting of what the current board's um is, or am I not hearing that correctly?

That's where I'm at.

So if we were to have right now, there's eight active members as far as the museum considers as active because Pastor Whitfield has not been there.

You're allowed to have nine full-time members, three alternates.

So Pastor Whitfield would make number nine.

Doug is filling.

I hope that the council will approve Doug filling the spot for number eight.

So through the chair, there's not an there's not an actual opening because there's no resignation.

So it doesn't say both.

There's already one opening that Doug's been act acting as to fill.

He's not in a full-time membership position.

Which opening is is you filled it.

Whoever was not there.

There's I don't have anybody else on this list.

Reverend Whitfield's the only one that's not listed.

I see what you're referring to.

How many know how many people are on this list?

Right there.

You might be looking at that.

No, that one I'm sorry.

He's not this is what you're using.

He's not even listed there.

We have one, two, I just want to correct the process and make sure that this is an actual no, I understand.

So we're working to clarify that he was appointed in 19.

What field?

So are you so is Doug actually too?

So that would have been the three.

He's not even listed here, is what there's a problem.

He's not listed here.

And he's appointed.

And he's still perhaps reappointed, I'm going to suggest.

There's seven other eight people that not reappointed either that are listed here also on this list.

How do you know that haven't been reappointed?

Well, term limits.

I know that Jeff Harold's been reappointed.

I know Sidney Putnam's reappointed through our communication on the city council, but looking at other names here, there's people that are listed that are not reappointed that are still actively serving.

So the argument of Reverend Whitfield until he resigns from the board, you have to consider him a full-time member still.

Mike, and I'll do respect.

We have a to the chairperson, please.

Yes.

Recognize we have possibly the most effective board you're gonna find in Danbury.

We have a requirement that we discuss among ourselves that we expect that you attend meetings.

And when you don't uh attend two in a row, such as Reverend Whitfield.

Um they're not considered an active.

We're all about being active.

We volunteer our hearts out.

Uh I uh recruited Doug in 2019.

He has given us superior attention.

Um we don't want to get caught up in irrelevant detail here, Mike.

I I say that sincerely.

We bend over backwards volunteer hours.

We would invite you to uh come to one of our meetings seriously, and uh uh help us uh in uh spreading the goodwill in the community that the museum is all about, right?

And uh if we need to clean up the the technicalities, no problem.

But I assure you uh Reverend Woodfield is not an active member of the board, and that's what matters.

That's what matters.

Doug has been incredibly involved with us, uh as you know, he manages uh the Amber Room.

We're here not only to support him, but to get across the point that this board is dedicated to the city of Danbury, and he wouldn't have been recruited.

We didn't think he had it, and I mean he's proven now for seven years to be uh uh outstanding.

So um thank you, thank you, Paul, Mr.

Valeria.

I I will uh make note that while uh Chief O'Brien is determining the the current list, that um I I don't I hope there wasn't a suggestion that somehow you're not following your processes that um with the um active membership and the alternates that you know within your um your bylaws.

Um while chief is doing that, I'm gonna go to um my fellow councilwoman Diane Lepine to see uh fellow ad hoc member if she has any questions and then go to any of our other council members who have joined us.

Thank you through the chair.

Yeah, what I'm thinking is that it's really nice to hear that your board is actually working really hard making the meetings because I am want uh the committee uh GERC.

Um, so I see, and there's a lot of defunct or a few at least um commissions that are missing people, they don't have enough people.

Maybe there's a little bit of clean up here just to get the names straight or whatever, but it sounds to me like it would be a mistake um to let somebody not be appointed just because you need a little letter.

So it's out you know, and like I said, there's a lot of commissions that are really you know they need people and people are not knocking the doors down to get on them.

So and I hear that uh he's been there since 2019, and he shows up for all the meetings, so I'm for it, and I think you can take care of whatever it is you need to clean up in a short time.

He's active with a capital A.

So um any other yes, Councilman.

Yeah, just feel first.

I I think Doug is a valuable member of our Danbury family.

I don't have any concerns with him being a Brookfield resident and serving our uh community in that way, and I think he'll continue serving our community well in his uh reappointment to the Danbury Museum and Historical Society Authority, which leads to my second point.

We are appointing a member to an authority as counselors.

We should assume that the authority has already gone through their process of going through the details.

We are not, and that's that's not our job.

They got we send money over to their authority to manage themselves.

We should have certain trust that the authority is managing that appropriately.

So thank you, councilman.

Councilman Laughinghouse, anything to uh for our ad?

Yeah, add just the same thing.

You know, it sounds the the members of the board are pretty um, you know, aligned with Doug kind of becoming a full-time member.

So I would fully support that.

I mean, it sounds to me there's a little bit of bookkeeping in terms of expirations and things like that, but the ad hoc specifically is Doug becoming a full-time member, and you know, it sounds like everybody's aligned to that.

So um to address councilman Henry's um point about the the process.

I don't know if there's perhaps a motion that you might want to offer that um to accept the nomination of the reappointments pending the you know the I don't know what you're looking for the clarification of the current status of all board members.

Through the chair.

So when I preface this at the beginning of this meeting, it was not about any individual, it was about the process looking at what we have.

So housekeeping needs to be taken care of if that's the issue.

But um at this moment, with Doug already is an active member as an alternate, it would not affect his status right now until we come back here, reconvene with a motion uh that we would come back to this committee with the proper board members listed and with everybody in place, and then we can reappoint, we can appoint Doug to a full-time.

So you're not taking my recommendation for a motion to uh support the reappointment of Doug to the Denver Museum Board authority pending clarification of current um current um membership status.

So that's what I'm taking that to hear.

So I'm going to move to you, councilwoman, if you would like to make that motion.

I would um I would like to make a motion to reappoint Douglas Palestina to the Denver Museum and Historical Society pending the clarification of the members and the uh resignation of reverent okay.

I second that motion.

Um any discussion?

Any further discussion, Council?

Um, if we can so this would go back to the chair to chief of staff, this would come back as another ad hoc.

No, don't come back with the recommendation.

With the with the question, yeah, the answers with the clarification.

I'll stay on that vote.

Okay, so all those in favor of the motion say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Um motion carries.

Um, all in favor of adjournment or motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Is there a second?

Second.

Okay, those in favor, aye.

So we are adjourned.

Thank you, everyone, at 72.

Thank you for your time and your consideration.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.