City
to board of convention, visitors center: You're fired
Bill
Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — They weren't called into Donald Trump's boardroom
but members of the Gallup Convention and Visitor's Bureau got the same
message: You're
fired.
The city has decided to dissolve the board and give the function to the
Gallup Development Commission.
City Manager Eric Honeyfield said Friday that the contract with the board gives
the city the right to terminate with 60 days notice and that notice has now
been given.
Barry Butler, chairman of the board, said Thursday that this has been under
discussion for the past two months so it didn't come as a surprise to any of
the board members.
He added that the board is supportive of the idea.
The idea, one which Mayor Bob Rosebrough has been talking about since being
elected last March, is to give the commission the authority to make changes
in the way
Gallup is promoted.
The convention center this past year received $350,000 to promote Gallup, all
coming from the lodger's tax, and the commission will now have the authority
to decide how that money will be used.
In the past the board has given grants to various organizations, such as the
Red Rock Balloon Rally and the Ceremonial Association, and allowed them to
decide what kind of advertising to use it for.
But some members of the council have argued that the money would be better
spent by having overall promotion of Gallup instead of just allowing each organization
to promote its own event.
The question then is whether the commission will continue along the same lines
as the board and give the money to the organizations or whether the commission
will decide where and how the advertising funds will be used.
Honeyfield said he didn't know the answer to that question. That level of details,
he said, will be left up to the commission.
As for the employees of the convention center, they will shift over to the
commission.
Ed Jungbluth, the center's director, currently gets half of his salary from
the convention bureau and half from the Gallup Chamber of Commerce. The half
paid
by the convention bureau will now be picked up by the commission, at least
until Jungbluth's current contract expires in December.
The secretary at the convention bureau will also be picked up by the commission
and, at least for the time being, Jungbluth will continue to operate out of
the chamber's headquarters on U.S. Historic Route 66.
Butler said that the city has encouraged members of the convention board to
apply for positions on the commission and he said he was planning to do that,
although
he didn't know how many of the other members would do so.
|
Friday
April 16, 2004
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