Sonny Mares retires as Tourist Development Director

[Interested Girl]

Botes

The questions you learn to ask are important.

Its how you learn about the real finding of the Dayco and Waste Management audits.

 

[Botes]

Botes

The questions you learn to ask are important.

Its how you learn about the real finding of the Dayco and Waste Management audits.

Forget about all that important stuff for a minute. Where's that volleyball access? I love me some volleyball.

 

[Interested Girl]

Forget about all that important stuff for a minute. Where's that volleyball access? I love me some volleyball.

Try Edgewater Beach Cond's.

 

[beachlivinggr8]

I do not believe the EDA is a public organization the way they have it set up. Just uses a lot of public dollars.

The EDA is managed by the chamber, and yes, Arnett "resigned" a few weeks back. Watch this one closely too. The Chamber convinced the commissioners to ask Sonny to retire so they could also get the contract for the TDC, so the chamber will have it all.

 

[idlewind]

As usual the "local media" did not ask the right questions nor did they interview the right people.

They basically report "press releases" from the PIO departments.

You must not be on the distribution list of "insiders".

The most revealing part of the interview was the statement by Louthain.

" Louthain said the TDC?s executive director answers to the Walton County Commission, which must approve Mares? replacement."

You have discussed the "hows" but can you tell us the "whys?"

 

[Interested Girl]

You have discussed the "hows" but can you tell us the "whys?"

I suppose that I could, but I believe the best source for the exact whys would be the three commissioners that had to give the OK on the issue.

It could be more than three but it would have required three.

 

[DuneLaker]

Could part of the "why" have anything to do with money? Who wouldn't want control and power over the $600,000 the EDO brought with it or the multi-millions the successful South Walton TDC commands?

 

[wrobert]

The EDA is managed by the chamber, and yes, Arnett "resigned" a few weeks back. Watch this one closely too. The Chamber convinced the commissioners to ask Sonny to retire so they could also get the contract for the TDC, so the chamber will have it all.

I have heard that from more than one person. Wonder if the Chamber is up to the public scrutinity that would come with that? The EDA being quasi-private is one thing, but to take on the role of a public agency opens up the organization to all sorts of disclosure requirements.

 

[wrobert]

You have discussed the "hows" but can you tell us the "whys?"

Why what? Think about this. What good is it to have hundreds of thousands of dollars collected in the local economy only for it to be spent in New York hiring photographers and models? Or being sent to Texas to insure a low cost airline comes to the area?

With unemployment nearing 10% would it not be better to hire local photographers and models?

Or what about taking employees/contractors to dinner and lunch for hundreds of dollars when they come to town?

Or this one, would it be better to fly over travel magazine writers from Europe and wine and dine them in sowal for a week to get in their good graces, or go to Europe for a week and visit with them and try to convince them you have a good thing going on here?

 

[DuneLaker]

I have heard that from more than one person. Wonder if the Chamber is up to the public scrutinity that would come with that? The EDA being quasi-private is one thing, but to take on the role of a public agency opens up the organization to all sorts of disclosure requirements.

Do you think full public scrutinity will come before the deal is finalized or after?