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Vacancies Slow The Work Of The Economic Development Commission

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Newtown's Economic Development Commission (EDC) was forced to cancel yet

another meeting Tuesday night as it continues to struggle to get enough

members to serve on the board.

There are nine seats on the EDC, as required by the town charter, but only

five of them are currently filled. One member was unable to attend this week's

meeting, so there were not enough members to make up a quorum.

Both political parties in town have been seeking candidates to fill the vacant

seats. Two members from each party are still needed. The commission was hit

hard in recent months with the loss of Walter Motyka, Evelyn Evagash, Thomas

Monks and Joe Bojnowski.

"We've had a pretty bad year as far as activities go," said Liz Stocker, the

town's economic development director. "Members have been going on and off the

board. It's in need of a boost. We need bodies."

The EDC has not held an official meeting since October. The board has no real

authority and can only make recommendations to the Legislative Council and

Board of Selectmen.

According to Mrs Stocker, there are several important issues facing the EDC,

including the board's tax abatement program, which has been the source of

confusion between town officials and business owners in the past month.

Two of Newtown's newest companies claim they were offered tax breaks for

coming to town. However, a tax deferral program was never approved by the

Legislative Council and now there is some doubt as to whether or not the

companies will get what they were allegedly promised.

Last year, EDC members, seeking a tax-break ordinance, presented the tax

deferral program to the council, but never returned after council members

asked them to refine certain sections of the proposal. The Cascella

administration then passed a resolution supporting tax breaks, a move that

came as a surprise to the council, which was still awaiting word from the EDC.

Two weeks ago, council member Joe Borst suggested the entire program be put on

hold and thrown back to the EDC. "They never came back to us," he said. "We

should not take any action. The EDC should get its act together."

Few members remain from last year's EDC.

According to Mrs Stocker, there are several other issues that need to be

addressed by the EDC, including the town's advertising campaign and marketing

program. "We're in a waiting mode," Mrs Stocker said. "There's no commission

to make any recommendations. We're at a stalemate right now."

The EDC also needs to update the town's strategic plan of economic

development, which provides goals and objectives on where the town's future

economic growth will occur. The plan, last updated in 1992, helps define the

kinds of businesses the town would bring in. It also addresses the activities

required to bring businesses in.

The EDC's annual business fair slated for the spring has been postponed, and

without a full board, the commission has not had an election in more than a

year, so there is currently no chairman. Rick LaBash is the vice chairman.

The remaining members of the EDC include Jim Juliano, Eugene Kiely, Ted

Rudisill, and Win Ballard, the group's newest member.