Judge-Executive seeks more answers at Tuesday’s Tourist Commission meeting
NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 –– Nelson County Judge-Executive Tim Hutchins attended Tuesday’s Tourist Commission board meeting in the hopes of getting answers. He left the meeting without finding out why former Tourist Commission director Samantha Brady was fired.
Hutchins said that despite him being an NCEDA board member, he felt like he was one of the last people to be informed of her firing.
“Everybody seemed to know about it but the county judge,” Hutchins told WBRT after the meeting. “I didn’t take it too kindly, and to be point blank about it, I’m not happy.”
Hutchins said from his perspective, the bourbon industry seems to be taking the credit for tourism’s growth in the county. The tourism board doesn’t seem to be getting credit for their efforts, he said.
During Ms. Brady’s tenure as tourism director, tourism numbers have increased the last three years. “The proof is there,” Hutchins said.
“Maybe they don’t need the $560,000 coming through Fiscal Court from the motel industry,” he quipped. “If the bourbon industry is taking credit for everything, maybe they can fund that whole department.”
Hutchins said the Tourist Commission does a lot to promote the bourbon industry, and he said he’s fine with that. “There’s a hell of a lot more going on in this county than just [bourbon],” he said.
After the meeting, Tourist Commission chairman Jeff Crowe told WBRT that the board will “move forward to redirect and re-align the position to keep the tourism office moving forward.”
A committee made of Tourist Commission members will decide who will be the next tourism leader that will move the agency into the next chapter.
The title of executive director will not be used in the future.
“To get to the level that Bardstown needs to be known for because of he bourbon boom and things the amazing community is doing, we think [the title] should be at a more elevated level to take us to the national level and international level,” Crowe said.
“We don’t think the title of executive director gets us there.”
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