Change of scenery?

Discussion

January 19, 2012

President upset all of Clark’s new appointments appear to be Democrats

By DAVID A. MANN David.Mann@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Thu Jan 19, 2012, 12:58 AM EST

JEFFERSONVILLE — The Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau Board could have some new faces this year, as new state legislation is going into effect.

Longtime members Jan Huff, Carlene Bottorff and Nancy Kraft are expected to be replaced with Ed Haire, Ashvin Padhya and Tony Singleton.

Legislation that changes the makeup of the bureau’s board was passed by the Indiana Legislature last session. It redistributes the number of board appointments that individual local governments have as a result of Jeffersonville being reclassified as a second-class city — a change made because of its increased population. Under the new legislation, Jeffersonville, New Albany and Clark County each have three appointments to the 13-member board. Clarksville and Floyd County have two appointments each.

According to Huff, who is the board’s president, the Clark County Commissioners are acting to redo all of their appointments since the legislation essentially creates a new board. In doing so they’re expected to replace her and Bottorff with Haire and Padhya.

Commissioner Les Young said the new appointments have been suggested but not voted on yet. He was unsure how he would vote, saying he first needed to speak with fellow commissioners Ed Meyer and John Perkins about the reasons for the change.

The Clarksville Town Council has already voted to appoint Singleton, thus replacing Kraft.

Huff expressed frustration with the proposed change because the commissioners were considering appointing all Democrats to the board when the legislation calls for representation from both political parties. Voter history records show that the three commissioners appointments — Haire, Padhya and Jim Becker, who’s already on the board — all voted in recent Democratic Party primaries. Huff is a Republican.

“It’s not actually following the letter of the law,” she said. “I think it’s kind of sad they have chosen to do that.”

Board attorney Jack Vissing said its difficult to determine political parties because voters don’t register that way.

“How do you know who’s who?” he asked rhetorically during a meeting Wednesday.

Meyer and Perkins were called for comment on this story but neither responded by press time. Tourism Bureau Executive Director Jim Keith said that while he’ll miss working with the current members if they are replaced, he didn’t mind the change.

“[The commissioners] can do whatever they choose,” he said. “It’s my job to work with them, not pick them.”

Board member Shelle England, a New Albany appointee, said she hated to see members leave but looked forward to working with the new ones. In addition to the commissioners, Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore also has appointments to make to the board.

The bureau was created to promote tourism in Southern Indiana. It operates on revenues collected through a 4 percent innkeepers tax.

Three percent of the tax collected goes to fund operations for the bureau, while the remaining 1 percent is put into a capital development fund. The board is made up of primarily of those engaged in a convention or tourism business, such as hotels.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Business/Money

A checkup for the community: Assessment tells health story of Floyd, surrounding counties
This report is a compilation of health and quality of life indicators for Floyd County. The report indicates that in Floyd County cancers, heart disease, obesity and smoking are growing problems.

May 21, 2012
Rebuild Marysville event raises money for town hit by tornado
Kirsty Travelstead of Marysville explained that as of Saturday morning, more than 300 T-shirts had been sold. For the event they had hopes of raising at least $5,000 from the T-shirts, food sales and the grill raffle.

May 21, 2012 2 Photos
New Albany City Council defeats bridges resolution
But Gonder said residents, especially those from Southern Indiana, will be struck the hardest by an inflated project cost of $2.6 billion that relies on tolling.
“We wouldn’t be in this fix if we were only going to build the east-end bridge,” he said.

May 18, 2012 1 Photo
Local officials react to proposed TARC cuts
The fare increases will raise a one-way adult fare from $1.50 to $1.75 and a monthly pass would increase from $42 to $50. TARC has not raised its base fare since 2008. The proposed rates are in line with public transportation fares charged in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, where one-way adult fare is already $1.75.

May 18, 2012
Jeffersonville’s Victorian Chautauqua set for weekend
Part of the event’s success is due to the fact that it hasn’t become overgrown during the last two decades, she said. Further, exhibitors and entertainment are always well received.

May 18, 2012
A night of thanks: Lady Antebellum event raises $285,000 for Henryville
May 17, 2012 6 Photos
Accent shows off new facility in Jeffersonville
Wednesday’s event was a formality in most aspects, as the building has actually been open since late March. However, it did mark a significant milestone for the Jeffersonville Town Center — a proposed shopping development that has struggled to attract commercial growth in the many years it’s been planned on Jeffersonville’s Veterans Parkway.

May 17, 2012 1 Photo
Economy not out of the woods yet, economists say
“Last November, I thought I was very optimistic, we were seeing some positive growths,” Dufrene said. “But right now, I think the outlook is more uncertain.”

May 17, 2012 1 Photo
Floyd County preparing for busy road season
Recently, a void on the side of the payment was spotted at the top of Spickert Knob Road. The road was repaired and reopened last December.

May 16, 2012
Treasure hunt: Attorney General explains how to find unclaimed property
Unclaimed property includes investment earnings, insurance proceeds and benefits, wages and money from bank accounts. It does not include real estate, abandoned vehicles or other such items.

May 16, 2012
More Business/Money Headlines

Business/Money

Search Results

Discussion

Change of scenery?

President upset all of Clark’s new appointments appear to be Democrats

Site Map

Contact Us