By SARAH PARKER | County Line Editor
Wilton resident and former clerk/treasurer Lori Brueggen asked why the Wilton Fest Committee apparently had denied her request to obtain vendor space at Wilton Fest in August.
Board president Tim Welch, who also serves on the Wilton Fest Committee, told Brueggen that he had been unaware of the decision and would not allow further discussion on the matter, saying he would offer her an answer later.
At the meeting, Brueggen read the following letter to the board: “I am asking the board to have all of the turmoil, if you call it that in nice terms, to END. Last evening, I asked personally for a Wilton Fest Arts & Crafts application to participate as a vendor. I was told no by Tiffany Bever, coordinator of the event, due to a conflict of interest and to take this concern to the current board; then I was told to contact the office; then I was told that Leigha (Barton) had asked a few board members, and they said that due to things that happened between me and them, they prefer that I not be there.
“Last year, I was invited to this event as a vendor, and this year, I am a conflict of interest by the board? That’s all I am asking is to be a vendor at a community event in which I live. I would like to know who the board members are that were contacted and what the conflict is?”
Wilton Fest Committee members Lorrie Bever and Dan Flock also were at the meeting, but they did not address the cause for Brueggen’s denial. Additionally, Barton was in attendance via telephone, but she also offered no comments.
According to Brueggen, she had made her request for vendor space Sunday night and had been denied Monday morning. Because the village operates the festival, the Wilton Fest Committee is a governmental body and is subject to the same meeting laws as other, similar entities. It’s unclear whether the committee took a formal vote on Brueggen’s application.