Funding levels bring criticism of FOMS, EDC

WINSTED — In the face of criticism from a resident and a former commission member, both the Economic Development Commission (EDC) Chairman Dick Labich and Friends of Main Street President Fran Delaney defended their organizations.The criticisms leveled toward both the EDC and Friends of Main Street started after the town budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 was passed by residents on June 1.In the new budget, the Economic Development Commission is funded at $5,700, which includes $5,000 for marketing, $500 for training and education and $200 for membership dues.In the same budget, Friends of Main Street has been funded at $11,250.In July, resident Stephen Kosinski sent town leaders and local newspapers a series of emails criticizing the town funding Friends of Main Street higher than the EDC.“This disparity in funding is most disturbing as EDC is the primary entity and reigns supreme, by law, charged with seeking, encouraging and supporting businesses to relocate or set up new business within the town,” Kosinski said. “The EDC is mandated by state law and is part of the town’s charter. Friends of Main Street is a nonprofit organization outside of town government with no town oversight, control or encumbrance for expenditure of taxpayers’ monies given to them. Like a drug addict, Friends of Main Street has become dependent on an annual infusion of Winchester taxpayers’ monies.”Adding to the criticism was Bill Pratt, a former commission member who resigned July 22.Pratt was first appointed to the commission in 2007 and served as its chairman from 2010 through 2012.Pratt’s term with the commission was set to expire in April 2014.He criticized the selectmen for funding Friends of Main Street at a higher level than the EDC.“The commission is funded at $5,700 while Friends of Main Street is funded for twice as much,” Pratt said. “Friends of Main Street is not the agency that is supposed to go forth and bring business into town. I just don’t see enough coming out of the commission to make it personally rewarding to remain on it or beat my head against the wall.”When asked about Kosinski’s and Pratt’s criticisms, both Chairman Labich and Friends of Main Street President Delaney said both organizations work in conjunction with each other.“Both Friends of Main Street and the Economic Development Commission are groups of volunteers fully devoted to helping out the town,” Labich said. “There is no question of one group being more important over the other group. We both work together in harmony. There is no battle over funding. The assumption of battles over funding is ridiculous.”Both Labich and Delaney pointed out that Labich sits on the Board of Directors of Friends of Main Street.“There is no battle over a budget, not to my knowledge,” Delaney said. “Stephen is neither a member of Friends of Main Street or the Economic Development Commission, so I don’t know where his information comes from.”Mayor Maryann Welcome, who is a member of the Economic Development Commission, echoed both Labich and Delaney’s comments.“I have said at many commission meetings that now is not the time to quibble over who has gotten the most money and it is not the time to engage in cannibalism,” Welcome said. “The funding we have given Friends of Main Street has been extremely valuable over the past few years. The last thing I want to see is either organization no longer existing. Instead of trying to destroy either organization, we should be working to enhance both.”Labich and Delaney said both organizations are working together to organize a business seminar scheduled for sometime in September.“An issue has come up where people have used Google to look up businesses in Winsted and they could not find anything,” Delaney said. “They could not find anything in terms of restaurants or places to stay. The idea of this seminar is to help businesses to get exposure on the Internet.”Meanwhile, Pratt said another reason why he stepped down from the commission is because, in his words, it has become a “political tool.”“Town Manager Dale Martin said about a year ago that the commission did not have the right to solicit business for the town,” Pratt said. “He said if we heard of any business that has an interest coming into town, we were to tell the business to call his office. I’m sorry, but that is not how the commission is supposed to work.”Pratt said he has spent the past 20 years working for towns and their economic development services.“The first 18 years were wonderful, but the last two years were not rewarding at all,” Pratt said. “The situation has been just too political. Anytime anything goes wrong with the selectmen, it has always been about blaming the commission. Selectman Glenn Albanesius always asks why we are not going to New York or Boston to solicit businesses. It’s because we can’t cover our expenses.”Mayor Welcome said it is “too bad” that Pratt resigned from the EDC because he was a major contributing member.“However, he is misguided if he thinks there is a politicization of the commission,” Mayor Welcome said. “If anything, the commission has done a good job of being apolitical.”In response, Town Manager Martin said he has no comment in response to Pratt’s criticisms.“But I would like to thank Bill for his service to the town,” Martin said. “I think the state of the commission is just fine right now. I think in the future the commission will continue to serve the town well.”However, when contacted by The Winsted Journal, Friends of Main Street President Fran Delaney were much more outspoken in response to Pratt’s criticisms.“He is entitled to his own opinion, but he is wrong about the estimation of value and contributions about Friends of Main Street,” Delaney said. “In fact, Commission Chairman Dick Labich sits on the Board of Directors of Friends of Main Street. The intent of him sitting on the board is to make sure the functions of Friends of Main Street are complementary to the Economic Development Commission and their functions.”Delaney added the intent of Labich sitting on the Board of Directors of the organization is to make sure functions of Friends of Main Street do not overlap the functions of the Economic Development Commission.“Friends of Main Street receives both private and public funding,” he said. “It produces a wide range of return to the town from financial investments, including everything from a concert series at East End Park to a town wide Earth Day cleanup event. We have also helped businesses in town obtain various grants.”Labich said he is disappointed that Pratt has resigned.“He devoted a lot of time to the commission,” Labich said. “Bill was a real asset to us.”There are currently five members on the commission: Labich, Vice Chairman Carrie Case, Susie Collier, Carol O’Connell and Matilda Jones.According to Labich, the town charter dictates the commission must have have seven regular members and four alternates.