Make an appointment

THE ISSUE

The Florence City Council and the Lauderdale County Commission are at an impasse over an appointment to the tourism board, but a recommendation by the County Commission chairman should help resolve the matter.

For more than a month, a joint appointment to the Florence-Lauderdale Tourism board has been deadlocked because the Florence City Council and the Lauderdale County Commission cannot agree on who should fill the board seat.

The County Commission wants to reappoint Florence businessman Bill Hunt to the board, while the City Council voted just over a week ago to appoint Jan Ingle. While the council was unanimous in its choice, the commission voted 3-2 for Hunt, with two members supporting Ingle.

The difference of opinion between the governing bodies is not a power struggle or even a clash of personalities: it centers on Hunt's attendance record at tourism board meetings.

Hunt, who owns a retail business, has missed about 40 percent of scheduled meetings.

He has said he must place his business ahead of board meetings and would understand if he was not reappointed to the board. No one is complaining about his performance, but council members say the board needs someone who can devote time to meetings.

Commission Chairman Dewey Mitchell has proposed forming an ad hoc committee of two commissioners and two council members to resolve the impasse. This is an excellent recommendation - one the council should accept immediately.

Tourism has become one of the most important cogs in the economic engine of the Shoals, and local tourism boards need the support and backing of the governing bodies that appoint their members.

The Florence-Lauderdale Tourism board needs special attention because it must find a new home for its offices in the next year. Its lease with the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa is expiring soon because the hotel needs the office space for other uses.

The board is under considerable pressure to find a suitable location and draw up construction or renovation plans for its new home. To accomplish those goals, a full board is needed - right away.

If commissioners cannot be persuaded to support Ingle's nomination, then a third candidate should be found who is agreeable to both the commission and the council. Too much is at stake for Florence-Lauderdale Tourism to allow this board appointment to become a protracted political standoff.