by Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT–Amy Wistreich may be a new member of Westport’s Board of Selectmen, but she should be familiar to anyone who is interested in land use in Westport. A member of the Planning and Zoning Commission for two years, and the Zoning Board of Appeals before that, she’d like to continue to focus on land use in Westport during her tenure as a selectwoman, she said during a recent interview.  

She’s ready and willing to work in Westport’s best interests in her new role, she said.  “I appreciate the opportunity. I’m happy to work as hard as I can for the town.” 

Wistreich voted against the Hamlet multi-building development proposed for Saugatuck with the majority of P&Z members in July. But she most vehemently opposes the greater density in development allowed by the passing of text amendment 24-C by the P&Z before she was a member. “I was not in favor of that amendment,” she said. “It was shocking to me when that text amendment was written.”

She’s confident now that “Hamlet is dead,” she said, and she’s not referring to Shakespeare. She’s planning to work on new plans for Saugatuck “with a new developer, whomever that might be, and the key groups in town so that from the beginning there’s a clear vision,” she said. “I’m very, very optimistic that we’re going to have common sense development there.”

The new selectwoman’s future hopes and plans for the town stem from her experience, employment and education in architecture, construction and real estate, and from her love of Westport, she said. She was born in White Plains, N.Y. but spent a lot of time in Westport where her mother’s sister lived. “I love it here,” she said. “I’ve been coming here since I was a child.”

She earned a degree in environmental design at Syracuse University and worked for Kohn, Pederson Fox Architects and Planners in New York City after college. 

Although she has always thought of Westport “as one of the most special places to be,” she moved with her husband Carl farther north into New England, living in Walpole, N.H. and Massachusetts. Then eight years ago when her husband’s business partner lived in Westport, the Wistreichs, who have three daughters, moved back to one of her favorite places.

Wherever she lived, she was “totally devoted to community work,” she said. Plus, “it has always been very important to me to keep my professional skills.” So she combined her two passions, working on community projects in each town where the family resided. Among the many projects she helped complete were a nursing home, a school and a performing arts center. She calls herself “a professional philanthropist,” donating her time and skills, rather than funds, to community projects. 

While she raised her daughters, now in their 20s, she kept up her professional skills when she was awarded a two-year Wexner Heritage Fellowship in the leadership development program. She was also honored with membership in the Young President’s Organization, an international organization promoting personal and professional growth for young executives.

Wistreich said she now looks forward to serving on the Board of Selectmen, and is excited about the years ahead when she can again serve the town of Westport.

 “I feel incredibly grateful and will return the favor by doing the work,” she said. “I consider it a real honor and privilege.”

Gretchen Webster

^{_{Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, has reported for the daily Greenwich Time and Norwalk Hour, the weekly Westport News, Fairfield Citizen and Weston Forum. She was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman for ten years. She has won numerous journalism awards over the years, and taught journalism at New York University and Southern Connecticut State University.}}