Currituck County's first tourism director could retire in August, prompting commissioners to look at combining economic development and tourism into one department.
Combining the two is strongly supported by the former chairman of the Board of Commissioners but has drawn criticism from a prominent Outer Banks developer and business owner.
Diane Sawyer Nordstrom, hired as Currituck County's tourism director in 2005, is eligible to retire Aug. 1 after commissioners agreed to allow combining her 15 years with local schools and five years she has worked for the county. She was the county's public relations officer before becoming tourism director.
Currituck Commissioner Barry Nelms has supported combining economic development and tourism. Since his election in 2006, Nelms has often clashed with Nordstrom over her advertising budget, which is supported by millions in occupancy taxes, and on day-to-day decisions such as the design of the sign in front of the Moyock welcome center.
Nelms has been critical of the heavy emphasis on promoting the Currituck Outer Banks over mainland attractions. Nelms owns a restaurant and lodge in Grandy and hosts popular motorcycle events there.
Nordstrom was placed on administrative leave for two days last year after a complaint was filed against her. After a brief investigation, she returned to work without further penalty.
Nelms said at the time he had nothing to do with it but is up-front now about her retirement.
"I would love for her to leave," he said Tuesday. "This is a great opportunity to combine the two departments. I'm the happiest member of the board."
Nordstrom is in charge of a county promotion budget of about $2 million a year.
Nordstrom has done a good job, said Doug Brindley, owner of Brindley Beach Vacations in Corolla. Her leadership has directly led to an increase in tourism spending and a climb in occupancy tax collections, he said.
Combining economic development and tourism would be a mistake, Brindley said.
"I don't think the statutes will allow it," he said. "This is a power grab for the money."
But the $169,973 economic development budget, including the salary of director Peter Bishop, is paid by occupancy taxes.
If the departments were combined, Bishop, who has no staff, would have access to personnel used for marketing and Web services, said County Manager Dan Scanlon.
The county collects about $8.5 million annually in occupancy taxes, a 6 percent fee charged to visitors for hotel stays and beach rentals. While transfer taxes and building permit fees have fallen, occupancy taxes are remaining relatively steady. The county's collections could decline next year to about $8.2 million, according to budget projections.
State law mandates that about a third of the money go only toward promotion. Commissioners have criticized the rate as too high. The county has a reserve fund of about $4 million in promotion funds.
Nordstrom acknowledged Tuesday that she could retire Aug. 1 but has not submitted official notice of her plans.
"I've had discussions, but I have not decided 100 percent," she said.
Nelms said Nordstrom asked commissioners whether she could combine her school and county time and the board agreed. "This came about at her request," he said. "I was the one who made the motion to accept it."
Earlier this month, the Dare County Tourism Board announced that Carolyn McCormick, managing director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau for 11 years, was resigning.
Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
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Get out of the Stone Age...
It still amazes me that there is a continuously clueless group of people here on the mainland who continue to want to poke holes in the cash cow that is the Outer Banks. Without Corolla, we in Currituck and for that matter the rest of the region would have NOTHING.
Every Saturday, Im thankful that I have to sit for 15+ minutes to get on Highway 168. I'll take it for all the dollars that pour into the area every summer.
Thank goodness people like Frances Walker, Barbara Snowden, Buck Thornton and others had a little foresight...rather than the closed minded, Depression-era thinkers that continue to try to keep us on mainland Currituck living in an era that went away when the ducks left.
I'm still thankful I came back to Currituck as a young person, but there's plenty like me who left and will never come back because of the backwards thinking that still runs the county government.