Renewed interest in adopting code of ethics

SALISBURY — Local officials have been discussing for several years now whether it makes sense to adopt a code of ethics for elected and appointed officials as well as town employees.Salisbury’s selectmen, acting on First Selectman Curtis Rand’s suggestion, agreed to look at other towns’ standards of conduct for town workers as an initial step. (At the December meeting the selectmen agreed to abide by a 2005 code of ethics.) The sticking point on a code of ethics has been the creation of a regional entity to evaluate complaints. Until recently the other towns in the Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments (known as COG, it is made up of first selectmen from nine Litchfield County towns) have been lukewarm about the idea, but Rand reported to the board Jan. 5 that at a COG meeting that morning there was renewed interest.Once a standard of conduct document for town employees is in place, Rand said, the selectmen could tackle the creation of an ethics code for elected and appointed officials.“And once we get that it should go to a town meeting,” he suggested.Selectman Jim Dresser said, “I’d feel hypocritical to have [a code] for employees and not have one for elected and appointed officials. I’m willing to work piecemeal, though.“And it will have to go town meeting because the selectmen can’t impose it on the Planning and Zoning Commission.”“It’s not like people are running roughshod,” said Rand. “I get three or four complaints a year.”

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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