At a special meeting on June 14, the City Advertising and Promotion Commission suspended Tourism Director Mike Maloney indefinitely, with full pay, pending an investigation. Commissioners retired to executive session, a closed meeting within a meeting, for more than two hours. When they reconvened, they announced that the suspension would prohibit Maloney from access to CAPC facilities, files, Internet sites, or financial accounts.
Commissioners then moved to hold a meeting about by-laws and who has authority to make decisions about contracts. Chair Chris Clifton said that no single member, including him, had the right to make decisions on their own about contracts, and that in future business all commissioners must review every contract proposed and sign for that contract.
Several commissioners pointed out that this might be an inconvenience, but Clifton reiterated, and acknowledged that this was commissioner David Avanzino’s advice, that until “things” were clarified, all commissioners would be emailed contracts which they must read and sign off on.
Clifton also said that they would need to split the director’s duties among commissioners. Kolin Paulk was assigned day-to-day marketing decisions, Avanzino will review contracts issued from January 1 to the present and will then share those that need signing. Administrative Manager Danyelle Harris explained about current contracts and what business she might need help with during the time without a director.
Harris said one of the bigger issues she’s facing is that since a few meetings ago, the CAPC had changed the rental fee for the Aud. Previously they had rates for whether people would need staff or not, whether they would be using the basement, the main section of the Aud, or the entire building, and a special rate granted to locals and non-profits.
Harris mentioned that several meetings ago it was decided there would be a flat rate of $3500, but many people have had questions and complaints about that price. She also noted that contracts about the Aud’s use would need to be reviewed.
Harris then said that she would need commissioners to be available because there is currently an issue with Madden Media and the website. When she tried to give details concerning the site’s issues with the online remittance form not working properly, Clifton told her that would need to be a subject for another time. She said that she would need help with anything normally in the purview of the director, including some administrative duties such as signing off on timesheets and bills that needed to be approved to be paid and passed on to the financial director.
Commissioners conferred about what was to be done when negotiating a contract since this usually involves the director, the financial director, and the person applying for a contract. Commissioner Bradley Tate-Green agreed to take over this duty, while Avanzino agreed to sign timesheets, and Clifton said he would deal with bills and invoices.
When called to answer questions about: why these steps were being implemented, how long the CAPC would be without a director, how much time people applying for contracts should allow, and if there was anything the public should know, Clifton did not reply.