Executive director Rick Lynn to retire

GOSHEN — Rick Lynn is taking his retirement, after 33 years as the director of the local council of governments.

The Northwest Hills Council of

Governments with a membership of 26 first selectmen and mayors from Torrington to Washington, was formerly the Litchfield Hills COG. Lynn served the latter for 26 years, and has been with the Northwest Hills group for seven years.

He’s turning 70 soon, he said, and is ready to take some time to do what he wants, and spend more time with his family including his 3-year-old grand

child. He and his wife, Joanne, live in Cornwall and have two grown children.

Meanwhile, the NHCOG is preparing to interview candidates to replace him.

“They’re going through the process of hiring a new executive director, and I think the deadline for applications was (April 16),” Lynn said. “The COG’s executive committee is doing the interviews. We’re hoping that the new director can start in June sometime.

“I will stay on to provide time for a smooth transition,” he said.

He’ll miss working with members, many of whom he’s known for decades. “It’s a great group,” Lynn said. “We all work so well together. It’s such a pleasure to work for them, and I want to help make it smooth for them with a new director.”

The position of executive director requires a person with a master’s in planning or public administration. “Typically, a director has a strong planning background, and public administration is an important skill,” Lynn said.

“The council members identify the jobs they want to undertake, and I work for them to achieve that. The spirit of regional cooperation with the COG has always been exceptional. They all want to work together,” he said.

State requirements are also part of the COG’s responsibilities. “We’re required by statute to do certain things, like a regional plan of conservation and development,” Lynn said. “We help identify transportation priorities. We help leaders meet their regional needs. We meet monthly to hear about new developments and programs in the state, and they talk with one another about their issues, about municipal management, and get advice from one another.”

A good example of the COG’s cooperative efforts, Lynn said, is a public works cooperative, where members agreed to buy several pieces of expensive equipment to share through the council, rather than a single town buying that equipment themselves and only using it a few times a year.

“This saves them time,” he said. “They don’t have to go halfway across the state to pick up a catch basin cleaner, for example. The COG charges lower rates to use it, and it saves taxpayers money with that regional cooperation. We’ve also helped the COG save money with regional supply purchases, for things like treated salt for winter road maintenance.”

The NHCOG is deep in the development of a GIS mapping system, identifying areas for emergency services as well as businesses and municipalities, with interactive information.

“So much more can be done with computerized mapping,” Lynn said. “The biggest change over the last 30 years is the change in information technology, and the mapping project is an example of that.”

The council also hears from agencies on the state and federal level. Earlier this month, members heard a talk from the director of UniteCT, which provides funding to residents for rent and utility payments during the pandemic.

“We try to provide speakers on a regular basis,” Lynn said. “It helps our members to meet the people who administer these programs, and then they’ll feel more comfortable calling or emailing them, if they’ve heard them speak. It’s a great way of networking, not only for members, but state officials.”

Many of the towns in the council face the same challenges — small populations and schools that are part of regional districts; businesses that often struggle to survive, and a population of elderly as well as families in need. Those challenges are not unique to many members, but having other leaders to share their troubles with helps, Lynn said.

“I think all of the town officials in the northwest region are very supportive of each other,” he said. “They’re very in tune with the residents in their area and what their needs are. It’s through that collaboration, with emails, monthly meetings, and dealing with similar issues, that they solve their own problems; what rec programs can they offer during the pandemic? Or asking, ‘What kinds of protective measures are you using?’ ‘Is your town hall open yet?’ Knowing what neighboring towns are doing is very helpful.”

What’s changed over the years, Lynn said, is the amount of paperwork he handles.

“It’s increased dramatically, the amount of paperwork the government requires,” he said. “But the information technology has changed things too.

“When I first started, we didn’t have computers — it’s hard to believe, but I had a typewriter. We used to type things up, and make copies and mail them out to the members. They’d receive it in two or three days, then a response took two or three days. That was standard operating procedure. Now, with email and social networking, it’s instantaneous. People expect a fast response.”

Lynn is proud that the NHCOG has always had a quorum to meet. “That shows the commitment members have to the region and one another,” he said.

His decision to retire wasn’t easy. “I’ll miss all the wonderful people I’ve had to work with,” Lynn said. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family, seeing my new grandchild; I’d like to spend time outside. But I’ll miss the people.

“The only thing I won’t miss is the traffic in I-84, driving to Hartford,” he said. “Otherwise, I can’t think of anything.”

Lynn’s first job was in downtown Buffalo, NY. “Coming to northwest Connecticut was like a dream come true,” he said, adding that he’s lived in Cornwall for 40 years.

“Driving down the Housatonic River corridor for the first time, it was like utopia. It was such a blessing to work in the northwest hills for all these years.”