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Bill Aimed at Limiting Number of City Votes on Marketing Board Passes HouseFriday, February 18, 2011 A proposed General Assembly bill that would keep more than one government official from serving on a local destination marketing committee passed through the House Wednesday and will now head to the Governor’s desk. Senator Tommy Norment proposed Senate Bill 1344 to keep more than one government official from serving on the board of the Williamsburg Area Destination Marketing Committee, a group tasked with spending the $2 per night, per room tax dollars to bring tourists to the Triangle. It is comprised of one representative of each local government, heads of the major attractions in the Triangle, a member of the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance and the state tourism commission.During the Senate vote on the bill at the end of January, Norment told fellow senators that “through some interesting manipulations recently, the city of Williamsburg ended up with two members of their city council on the [WADMC] board.” The ‘manipulation’ Norment referenced was Williamsburg Hotel Motel Association’s decision to appoint member Doug Pons, a city motel owner who is also a city council member, as their representative on WADMC. The move, Norment said on the floor, “created a little uneasiness,” though he didn’t say who it was who felt this way. WYDaily asked Norment’s Legislative Assistant Casey Werderman for names of people who might have expressed “uneasiness” to his office about the bill, but he couldn’t provide any. Pons said in a previous interview that he had spoken to several WADMC board members who had not had an issue with his role on the board. Mayor and WADMC member Clyde Haulman also told WYDaily in a previous interview he didn’t see anything wrong with it, as long as Pons votes on behalf of the WHMA. Three other WADMC members WYDaily contacted had no comment on the issue. Werderman explained that Norment had brought forth the original bill that created to two dollar per night tax, and that this addition to that bill was to ensure fairness across the board – not just with members of Williamsburg’s city council, but with all three Triangle localities represented at the table. When asked why the WHMA had decided to appoint Pons as their representative, Executive Director Priscilla Caldwell said, “Doug Pons was one of the originators of this destination marketing effort in 2001 and has been involved with the Hotel Association for more than two decades, having served as its president three times. “The board of directors of WHMA finds him to be the most suitable, qualified and capable representative to serve their interests.” The bill passed the House 71-23. Del. Robin Abbott, who represents part of James City County and part of Newport News, was one member who voted no. “We do not need a bill for every issue,” she said Thursday. “I believe that this could have been accomplished at the local level.” In response to this week’s vote, the WHMA “will designate a new representative in compliance with the law,” Caldwell said. |
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Comments
During his "pitch" to the House finance committee on 2/14. Tommy Norment suggested that the 79 dissedent hotels in the hotel association were somehow trying to gerrymander the WADMC board and that they have plenty of other people that they can choose from......He actually called his own constituents "dissidents".
To make matters worse immediately after he insulted our local business leaders. The house moved to vote on the bill and no one else was allowed to speak.
This wouldn't have been so bad unless you consider that the committee chairman asked if ANYONE would like to speak regarding EVER SINGLE BILL that came before them with the exception one. The one that he was pushing thru. SO MUCH FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
I'm not even that upset about the vote. It is what I expected, but what gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach is the fact that opposing views were not even allowed to be heard. The senator new that there were other people there from his district to speak against his bill and if he had one shred of charachter he would have insisted that others be given the opportunity to speak.
He did not and by the smirk on his face I would say that he was rather pleased with himself.
As a conservative TOMMY NORMENT is so offensive to me that I am considering registering as a democrat. His behavior and complete and total disregard for anyone or anything that doesn't do something for TOMMY NORMENT disgusts me and I hope it does you too. PLEASE remember this when he is up for re-election and vote for the ANYONE BUT TOMMY NORMENT candidate.