Dear Commissioners:
As an Escambia County taxpayer, I ask you to look hard at the discourse as regards the recent activities of some members of the TDC and your appointees to that council. As your representative, all that is being publicized by your BOCC member is assumed to be the position of the BOCC as a whole. This is at best an unflattering reflection on each of you if it is allowed to persist.
For the sake of the reputation of the BOCC as a whole, it is imperative that some action be taken immediately. Without it, the whole of your board is made out to look like bafoons.
I am attaching a “Viewpoint” that I wrote on September 26, 2011 and sent to the PNJ. I do not know if it will be published or not, but it was sent two days in advance of the latest “tell all” published in that paper.
Alison Davenport
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Viewpoint
By: Alison Davenport
Over the course of the last few weeks, a number of articles have been published regarding tourism dollars in Escambia County, and meetings, talks or plans that have been pursued by various parties related to the industry.
Anyone who has ever sat through a TDC meeting can vouch for the fact that those that serve on the council have a thankless job. In addition, anyone who has ever gone before the committee seeking funding knows that the process is far from perfect. Still, the committee is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners as mandated by the State, and they are tasked with determining how to mete out the 3 cent “Bed Tax†dollars in a manner that best promotes tourism for our area.
Recently the PNJ has revealed that the chairman of the TDC instructed a local advertising agency who has been employed by the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce for at least 10 years, to arrange for meetings of “stakeholders†in the tourism industry. As it has been reported, the “stakeholders†were made up of hoteliers, motel owners, and a staff member of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
This begs the question, “Who is the TDC, or any member thereof to determine who the “stakeholders†are?â€
There is no denying that we have a conundrum in this County. The Civic Center is a sucking hole that bleeds our community of precious dollars that could be spent to better position us in the marketplace. Every dollar spent to overcome the losses there steals an amazing amount of potential revenue from each and every member of this community.
For this reason it is absolutely understandable that the hoteliers and motel owners who have invested so heavily in their businesses are frustrated and want something different.
That said, it is also true that they are only part of the puzzle, not its entirety.
So, it seems to me the question must be “how can we do tourism better?â€
If that is the question, the answer plainly cannot be determined without involving all that participate in the tourism industry within the county. For whatever reason, that did not take place before, it most certainly must take place now.
But one has to wonder if “all the players†can trust that the outcome will not be skewed by the TDC’s already selected “stakeholdersâ€.
Sadly, it is difficult to imagine that “all the players†would have ever known what happened if the pursuits of this small, but powerful group had not been uncovered. This makes it difficult to establish a level of trust that the process will suddenly become an open and transparent one. After all, if the ideas that this group have put together privately are indeed in the best interest of the entire community, then an open process posed no threat to them.
The TDC is an appointed committee charged with recommending the appropriate distribution of public funds – tax dollars specifically – that are ultimately distributed at the discretion of the BOCC. In truth, regardless of the recommendation made, the BOCC can elect to distribute funds entirely at their discretion.
I call upon the members of the BOCC to look at the activities of the TDC and determine if they indeed exemplify the propriety that you expect from your appointees.