ST. MICHAELS — On Wednesday evening, St. Michaels commissioners were faced with outcry from residents regarding the town’s proposed Tourism Advisory Board.
Residents raised an array of concerns, including potential conflicts of interests and a lack of data supporting the board’s creation.
An exact timeline for further creating the tourism board has not been established, according to Commissioner Jay Hudson. But commissioners voiced a desire to act quickly on the matter during Wednesday’s meeting.
“There was a pushback on what we proposed towards the board, which was a little surprising, which means that we have to go back a little bit and get some modifications and see if we can’t come to a resolution,” Commissioner David Wojciechowski said. “In the end, we are running out of time.”
The idea of a tourism board was brought forth during a commissioners candidate forum hosted by the St. Michaels Business Association last April, when representatives of the Business Associations stated a need for marketing assistance due to a decrease in revenues within the last year.
During that forum, David Wojciechowski, Alexis Roiter and Jay Hudson, who were all later elected as commissioners, said they would work with business owners to make the town more friendly to their needs.
The Tourism Advisory Board again raised during a July 10 meeting while the town was hearing marketing bids. At the direction of the commissioners, an ordinance was pulled together to establish the board.
The purpose of the board, according to a town memo, would be to assist the town in its efforts to encourage businesses to locate or remain in the town and to make recommendations to the commissioners. The board would also “work closely with the Talbot County Tourism Board on a unified, regional marketing approach.”
The board would comprise seven members serving four-year terms, all appointed by the commissioners. Membership would include residents not associated with a business and representatives from the lodging, eating/drinking, retail or service, marinas, museums and nonprofit sectors.
DATADuring the public hearing Wednesday, resident Daniel Spiegel said the establishment of the tourism board is based on anecdotal information provided by St. Michaels business owners and not on actual data.
“The major rationale for this board, according to the language of the ordinance, is to promote business and retain business in this town,” Spiegel said. “And I’d like to know whether the commission has been presented (with data) other than anecdotal information?”
Wojciechowski said part of the purpose of the Tourism Advisory Board would be to obtain data. He said he felt the board would provide an incentive for businesses to volunteer their revenue data so the town can have a better understanding of the needs they may have.
David Breimhurst, a resident and former St. Michaels commissioner, said he appreciated Wojciechowski’s words on data gathering, but he proposed other means of obtaining it.
“I would suggest an in-depth economic study by a first tier economic study group would be the first step, so that we understand the true nature of our economy,” Breimhurst said. “… So the data is most important, and I don’t see any data supporting the rationale for creating this board in the first place.”
CONFLICT OF INTERESTThe secondary concern brought by residents was the “conflict of interest” this board would pose to the town.
“You are making these business people and using representatives part of the structure of this town,” Spiegel said. “And you will defer to them in terms of their ideas and recommendations, and their ideas and recommendations are going to have a budgetary impact that are going to impact their own financial well being, and that is a conflict of interest that should be avoided.”
Commissioner Alexis Roiter gave a brief comment emphasizing the tourism board would focus on advising. It would not be a governmental board, she said.
“You can call it anything you want,” Spiegel said “This is a board you are appointing. This board, they are governed by the laws and the rules and the ordinances of this town. You aren’t creating a business advisory committee that you meet with from time to time. You are creating a mechanism that has all of the attributes of the Planning Commission.”
After a bit of back and forth, Roiter suggested the town may need a tourism task force rather than a tourism board — an idea residents seem to agree on.
Toward the end of discussion, commissioners agreed to bring the subject of the tourism board up for discussion again at the next meeting in September.
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