Trustees back referring poet-laureate idea to cultural council and select board

A proposal to create a town poet laureate — submitted in a letter from Thomas Fredo — drew supportive discussion at the trustees meeting, but trustees said the idea should go through arts and cultural channels before the board takes formal action.

Fredo’s letter (read and discussed at the meeting) described interest in having a poet represent town events; he told trustees he was not necessarily seeking the position himself. Several trustees said the Westport Cultural Council or similar arts organizations would be a natural place to draft a formal job description. Trustees suggested the select board would be the appropriate body to adopt any official, town-funded position, and that the trustees could write a letter of support once a final proposal is in hand. Trustees also noted examples from other towns where poet laureates or youth-focused poet programs follow different appointment structures, sometimes including competitions or honorary roles.

Trustees encouraged Fredo to route his proposal to the cultural council and to the director’s office for referral to the select board; no funding commitment or formal vote was taken at the meeting.

What happens next: trustees will refer the correspondent to the cultural council and select board channels and can provide a letter of support when a more developed proposal is prepared.