Paisley Steps Down From Tourism Bureau

By JAN HOWARD

Published: Dec 19, 2003 12:00 am

By Jan Howard

Sherry Paisley of Sandy Hook has resigned, effective December 12, as Newtownâs representative to the recently formed Northwestern Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Ms Paisley said this week that she resigned so that she would have more time to devote to the townâs Cultural Arts Ad Hoc Study Group, which was recently appointed by the Board of Selectmen to study the need for a cultural arts commission in Newtown.

Â âI want to spend time on that because itâs Newtown,â Ms Paisley said this week. âI like to be involved where I can be effective, where I can make a difference.â

The Ad Hoc Study Group is currently contacting other townsâ arts commissions and arts councils to research a commission model for the town. The group held its inaugural meeting on November 18. Members, in addition to Ms Paisley, are Jennifer Johnson, Brigette Sorensen, Joe Grasso, and Paula Stephan.

Ms Paisley said she also hopes to be involved in a regional cultural arts council that is currently being considered.

Lew Wallace, who is a state representative from Danbury, is involved in that effort, and said he would be happy to have Ms Paisley involved once an advisory board is established.

âIâve always been interested in the arts,â he said this week, noting the importance of cultural arts to the regionâs economic development.

In October, Rep Wallace announced that the Connecticut Commission on Arts, Tourism, Culture, History and Film allocated $5,000 for an assessment of the arts and culture needs of the Housatonic Valley region. The former Housatonic Valley Tourism District also donated $15,000 toward the assessment prior to its closing in September. The district, once one of 11 in the state, was merged in late September into the Northwestern district, now one of five districts statewide.

The Newtown Savings Bank and individuals throughout the region have also contributed additional funds, according to Rep Wallace.

The Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce has agreed to provide office space, a computer, and other assistance for the individual conducting the assessment, Rep Wallace said. The assessment would include interviews with and surveys to the 270 cultural and arts groups in the ten-town region that were identified by the former Housatonic Valley Tourism District.

Rep Wallace said municipalitiesâ cultural arts commissions have a purview that ends at the townâs borders. He said one of the goals of the assessment could be the development of a regional arts council that would serve as an umbrella organization for the cultural and arts groups in the ten-town region and promote the region.

He said the cultural arts councils in other areas of the state have varied roles, including fundraising, marketing, and hosting cultural events.

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Paisley Steps Down From Tourism Bureau

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