Commissioners delay TDA appointment, again
Bernadette Peters, who manages the Main Street Sylva Association, is seeking appointment to Jackson County’s TDA board. File photo
For the second meeting in a row, Jackson County Commissioners chose to table a routine appointment to the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Board, leaving a board that has had difficulty filling seats in the past one member down with an applicant willing, ready and waiting in the wings.
“This appointment will fill a key board vacancy and ensure strong leadership for our organization,” TDA Executive Director Nick Breedlove said in his recommendation for the position.
At its Dec. 3 regular meeting, the commission was set to vote on filling a vacancy on the TDA board that would fulfill the role of representing North Jackson Hospitality and Tourism. The TDA board is made up of nine members serving staggered one-, two- and three-year terms.
Sylva’s Economic Development Director Bernadette Peters had been recommended to fill the North Jackson slot on the board and received a letter of support from Breedlove.
“We greatly appreciate your consideration of Bernadette Peters for this appointment to our Board of Directors. Her extensive experience and dedication to economic development make her an outstanding candidate to support our mission,” Breedlove said.
The letter of recommendation noted that Peters has more than 35 years of experience in marketing, business development and entrepreneurship. As economic development director for the Town of Sylva, she has worked closely with new businesses, property owners and developers to support growth and revitalization efforts.
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“Bernadette also manages the nationally accredited Main Street Sylva Association program, helping property owners in historic downtown Sylva rehabilitate buildings and activate unused spaces,” the letter read. “Her leadership has contributed over $600,000 in private investment and $230,000 in public investment in the past year. Through the program, volunteers logged 676 hours to organize town events, promotions, and improvements.”
However, when the question of appointment came before the board, commissioners tabled the item.
“I’d like to make a motion to table that,” said Commissioner John Smith. “The only applicant we have is the TDA person of the town and I think that’s a conflict of interest.”
While the Town of Sylva does not have its own TDA, Peters does work as the economic development director for the town and leads the Main Street Sylva Association.
In October, the County Commission approved a request from the TDA to expand career categories permitted to make up the JCTDA board .
Because several hotels in the county have consolidated under the same ownership, there has been difficulty getting enough members to fill the board of directors.
Previously, board members had to be hoteliers of establishments with 10 or more rooms, with some representing the northern and some representing the southern portions of the county.
However, with the change approved by commissioners, board membership is now open to hospitality and tourism workers more generally.
“This would create what’s called a hospitality and tourism category and our first preference would be on hoteliers, but if we can’t get a hotelier in that role, our second preference would be moving down for broader representation and those key people in the industry that understand hospitality and tourism,” Breedlove told commissioners when requesting the change.
Peters was recommended for the TDA board in this new category to represent North Jackson in hospitality and tourism.
When the tabled appointment came back before the county commission at its Dec. 17 meeting, Chairman Mark Letson recommended Peters’ appointment and quelled any fears of a conflict of interest.
“I spoke with Mr. Breedlove after our last meeting regarding how they came to Peters being on the Tourism Development Authority and she’s gone through an extensive amount of vetting, background checks, and conflict of interest,” said Letson. “Peters serves more as an economic developer, not necessarily tourism development. So, if there are no objections, I do recommend Peters to be on the TDA.”
But Smith once again voiced opposition to her appointment.
“As I’ve said before, and I’ve talked to several people in my district, they still think the optics of it looks bad, as a conflict,” Smith said.
Smith did not elaborate further and there was no more discussion on the issue.
New commissioners Michael Jennings and Jenny Lynn Hooper backed Smith’s denouncement of Peters.
“Is there any way we can table this again?” Jennings asked.
“That’s what I’d like to do is table it,” said Hooper.
Letson consented to tabling the vote, however, the TDA board appointment was not on the agenda for either the commission’s work session or regular meeting both scheduled for Jan. 7.
Part of the JCTDA board’s job includes overseeing the Tourism Capital Project Fund, which provides money for capital projects in the county. Since the JCTDA began the grant process, it has awarded funding to the Town of Sylva in the amount of $367,757 for Bridge Park improvements, which were completed this spring, as well as $745,000 to Jackson County to extend the Tuckasegee River Greenway in Cullowhee.
