TRUMBULL COUNTY TOURISM BOARD Board member defects, cites conflict of interest

The auditor says people are calling him, asking for money.
WARREN -- The not-quite-week-old Trumbull County Tourism Board is about to see its first defection.
Auditor David A. Hines, named by commissioners last week as one of three board members, sent a letter Monday to Commissioner Daniel Polivka -- saying he doesn't like the idea.
The commissioners last week eliminated the 24-year-old Trumbull County Convention & amp; Visitors Bureau Inc. as the designated recipient of public funds. They established the new Trumbull County Tourism Board to receive 2 percent of the county's lodging tax.
That move lets Hines, Treasurer Christ Michelakis and Polivka, board chairman, watch over the money.
"I don't think it's a good idea for public officials to be on it," Hines said. "People are calling me asking for money and I don't think it's a good thing for a public official."
Plus, Hines said, he's not particularly well-versed in matters of tourism promotion.
"I think there's a conflict of interest there because I'm the one that distributes the money," he added.
Replacement idea
Hines recommends to Polivka that the Trumbull 100 group be given consideration.
"They are in the business of promoting Trumbull County already and would do a good job," he wrote.
Trumbull 100 is a 65-member organization of business people and civic leaders working to make Trumbull County a better place. It has raised funds for, and contributed its own dollars to, worthwhile projects.
"I would ask that you consider this strongly," Hines advised Polivka.
A judge's order, meanwhile, upholds the commissioners' effort to create the new agency to promote travel and tourism.
Judge Thomas P. Curran has granted commissioners and the county auditor a partial summary judgment, which spells out that the closed Trumbull County Convention & amp; Visitors Bureau has no claim to future county lodging tax revenue.
The judgment allows commissioners to designate whichever agency they desire to receive the money. "This clears the way for them to recognize a new board, as well," explained Jason Earnhart, assistant county prosecutor.
Last week, commissioners set up the new tourism board; two weeks ago the commissioners set up a new fund for depositing tax funds for that board's operation.
Along with running the venture out of the commissioners' office, other options could involve hiring a private agency, bringing the operation under the wings of the Western Reserve Port Authority or a combination of these.
Not yet settled is the issue of past lodging tax dollars.
The Trumbull County Convention & amp; Visitors Bureau shut down March 31, but its board members, through their lawsuit against the county, want lodging tax dollars from past years. Commissioners have refused to give the bureau $159,000 in tax proceeds and have held back the money since last July.
The two boards have been at odds regarding board membership and the money. A settlement under discussion would provide $159,843 to that board to be used for the promotion of upcoming events and tournaments, and expenses associated with the office's closing. Any money left over would go to the Trumbull County MetroParks Board.