By Donald Wittkowski
A dispute between Sea Isle City’s Tourism Commission and the local business community has been resolved now that both sides will work together to pay off a debt that has lingered from an advertising campaign four years ago.
The Tourism Commission sent a letter in October to the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization seeking a $17,000 payment for the remainder of a $67,000 advertising campaign launched in 2013 to lure tourists back to town after Hurricane Sandy pummeled the Jersey Shore. The Chamber responded this month with a letter to the Tourism Commission disputing that it owed any money.
However, the Chamber also said it would be willing to collaborate with the commission on a fundraising effort to pay off the debt.
“The Chamber of Commerce and the business community of Sea Isle City stand by their commitment to help with fundraisers for the Tourism Commission,” Christopher Glancey, the Chamber’s president, wrote in the letter.
James Bennett, chairman of the Tourism Commission said he is receptive toward the Chamber’s fundraising offer and looks forward to the two organizations working in partnership.
He also praised the Chamber for the “wonderful job” it has done so far to pay for the advertising campaign.
“The Chamber has borne the brunt of paying it off,” Bennett said in an interview Thursday.
In 2013, Sea Isle launched a multimedia advertising campaign to let tourists know that the city was open for business following Hurricane Sandy. The “We’re Ready” campaign was designed to counter perceptions that the Jersey Shore was so severely damaged by the October 2012 hurricane that it would be shut down for the 2013 summer tourism season.
Bennett explained that the city fronted the money for the campaign, but that the Chamber of Commerce had been paying it off since 2013.
So far, the Chamber has reimbursed the Tourism Commission about $50,000 for the campaign, but stopped making payments two years ago, leaving about $17,000 unpaid.
When those payments stopped, the city began tapping the Tourism Commission’s budget to pay for the debt, Bennett said. The Tourism Commission, a public body, is an arm of the city government.
“The city is owed the money,” Bennett said. “Each year, the city takes money out of the Tourism Commission budget.”
Faced with growing financial pressures, the commission sent a letter to the Chamber asking it to repay the money. The Chamber replied with its own letter disputing “the assertion that there is an outstanding (debt) payable to the Tourism Commission.”
Yet both sides have reached common ground with the Chamber’s offer to help organize a fundraising drive. In its letter written by Glancey, the Chamber requested a meeting with the Tourism Commission to discuss ideas for a fundraiser.
“I’m glad to see that we can work with the Chamber for a fundraiser,” Bennett said.
During the Chamber’s monthly board meeting on Tuesday, Glancey reiterated his belief that the Chamber is not responsible for paying off the $17,000.
He said the “We’re Ready” advertising campaign was a collective effort between the Chamber, the Tourism Commission and the city. Glancey said the Chamber agreed to raise money to help pay for the advertising campaign, but did not take on the responsibility of funding it all by itself.
“It’s a group effort. Everyone needs to be involved,” Glancey said in an interview.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Mike Monichetti, a Chamber member and owner of Mike’s Seafood & Dock Restaurant in Sea Isle, urged the Chamber to pay off the $17,000. He said the issue would simply go “round and round” without being resolved unless the money is paid.
“We have to pay this off. This is getting old,” Monichetti said.
“We don’t have that kind of money sitting in our bank account to write a check,” Glancey said in response.
After further discussion, Glancey and the Chamber members agreed that they will develop a fundraising strategy in partnership with the Tourism Commission.
The Tourism Commission, which markets the town to visitors, is funded by revenue from the city’s mercantile licenses and rental permits. However, income from rental permits has been on the decline, apparently due to a shift in Sea Isle’s vacation market.
City Councilman William Kehner, who sits on the Tourism Commission’s board, explained that more and more homeowners are using their houses for their own vacations instead of renting them out to summer tourists.
With income from rental permits on the decline, the Tourism Commission has seen its marketing budget slip. Funding for the commission was $110,000 five years ago, but came in at $100,000 for 2017 and could fall even more for the 2018 marketing budget.
The commission anticipates spending $100,000 for its 2018 summer marketing and advertising campaign. Bennett, though, noted during the commission’s board meeting in October that there is a possibility the actual figure could be around $95,000 to $98,000 due to declining revenue from rental permits.
