VCVB strikes temporary deal with Compass despite squabble|[12/23/05]
Published 12:00 am Friday, December 23, 2005
As Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board members met Thursday to discuss phasing-in Compass Facility Management as a contract management firm, four board members kept urging their colleagues to hold off until their questions are answered.
A 6-4 vote by the 11-member board to hire Compass on Dec. 15 was the culmination of a seven-month search to fill a position that has been held by individuals since the tourism-development agency was created in 1972.
Before Thursday’s meeting, the four who dissented from that vote endorsed a letter to interim board chairman Patty Cappaert.
Members Bobby Doyle, Omar Nelson, Bobbie Morrow and Jessica Williams say they think the state legislation that created the VCVB intended the term “executive director” to mean a person rather than an entity.
“For clarification on this matter, we are seeking an attorney general’s opinion to assist in determining the true interpretation and intent of ‘executive director.’” the letter says.
Three other reasons against Compass being hired were also listed: