Coast tourism president voted out after Harrison County supervisors spar in heated meeting
Monday’s Harrison County Supervisors’ meeting ended with a sparring match that ousted the president of the Coastal Mississippi tourism board and revealed personal conflicts.
Supervisor Rebecca Powers asked to go into executive session to discuss Brooke Shoultz’s position, but county attorney Tim Holleman said that wasn’t allowed since it concerned a board appointment and not an employee matter.
A YouTube video captures the heated 15-minute back-and-forth — primarily between Supervisor Connie Rockco and Powers — with Rockco saying she wasn’t going to reappoint Shoultz to the at-large position.
Powers defended Shoultz, a tax attorney, who she said “has gone above and beyond and done things that we asked her to — and saved the regional tourism.”
Rockco said the board members got notice from the clerk that Shoultz’s term was expiring. Rockco had checked the state law before the meeting and said any of the supervisors can nominate an at-large board member but she was the only supervisor who could appoint Shoultz to serve another term on the tourism commission.
Shoultz lives in her district, Rockco said, and the law says no supervisor can appoint a director from another district.
What she didn’t say is Supervisor Beverly Martin — not Rockco — originally appointed Shoultz to serve the remaining term of Daniel Wittmann in March 2020.
Shoultz, whose term is up July 1, said in a statement to the Sun Herald Wednesday:
“As of today, I am the president of the board of commissioners for Coastal Mississippi, a regional tourism organization that promotes our beautiful home as a top destination for visitors. I will represent all three Coastal county boards of Supervisors, the board of commissioners, staff and taxpayers of the region until my term is expired.”
Coast supervisors argue: A decision over wine?
Rockco said the reason she was was nominating a new person was Shoultz told her she no longer wants to be on the board.
“That’s bizarre,” Powers said. “Literally last week she told me something completely different.”
Powers asked Rockco when it was that Shoultz said she didn’t want to serve on the board.
She asked Rockco if it was in May while drinking red wine at a pool party. “Is that the day?” Powers asked.
Rockco said that was the last time they spoke.
“And because you have a personal issue with her, you’re going to do this?” Powers asked.
Rockco said she had no personal issues with Shoultz.
“Why is everything a major case and drama going on?” Rockco said.
She later told the Sun Herald that Shoultz told her and other people she was not interested in being on the board. Typically when a person’s term is about to expire, they contact the supervisors and let them know they would like to be reappointed, Rockco said.
Supervisor Marlin Ladner jumped into the fray and suggested the supervisors ask Shoultz directly if she wants to continue to serve on the board.
“Would that be fair to at least hear from her?” Powers said, but president Kent Jones declined that request.
Rockco said Shoultz’s term on the tourism commission expires July 1 and the supervisors don’t have another meeting before then.
Ex-director was confirmed to tourism board last month
The question of whether Shoultz wanted to continue to serve on the board was addressed during the May meeting of the Coastal Mississippi board.
According to the unofficial minutes from the meeting, Shoultz was elected to serve another one-year term as president of the board..
Fourteen of the 15 board members voted for her to continue as president and one was absent. Her nomination was contingent on her being reconfirmed by the supervisors.
Shoultz presided over the meeting and the election of officers, and accepted the nomination.
Too much power on tourism board?
Powers continued to defend Shoultz during the meeting and repeatedly asked Rockco where the decision had come from to replace the board president.
Powers was a reporter and anchor at WLOX-TV before being elected supervisor and said, “I really wish I was still a reporter so I could speak the truth.”
Powers said the issue is one person on the 15-member Coastal Mississippi board has too much power. She said commissioner Kim Fritz, who has been on the board for 10 years, liked being in charge of committees and that “the staff is being directed by her.”
Rockco, who nominated Fritz to the tourism board, disputed those claims.
One supervisor who had little to say during the discussion was Martin, despite her tussle with Rockco in 2012 when Rockco asked for Martin’s resignation from the Harrison County tourism board.
The two were friends and Martin twice served as acting director of the tourism commission without pay when the executive director left. Rockco said Martin failed to post the job of executive director, then failed to inform the supervisors when they made a decision.
“We learned of the hire not from the county’s appointee, but in the news media,” Rockco said.
How supervisors voted
Rockco said she reached out to Thomas Sherman, who lives in her district, and a woman who does not, and both of them had experiences in all types of tourism to qualify them to serve on the board.
She nominated Sherman, who works in sales at a wholesale beverage alcohol distributor that specializes in wine and spirits, according to his Facebook profile.
The vote to confirm him was 3-2, with Rockco, Martin and Kent Jones in favor of Sherman’s appointment and Power and Ladner opposed.
Rockco said Sherman has been in the hospitality business for years in the three Coast counties and throughout the state and will do a good job as a tourism commissioner.
Powers said after the vote she didn’t know the new appointee and couldn’t believe the supervisors were getting rid of Shoultz.
“Her term has expired and she has not been reappointed. Someone else has,” Rockco said.
The Sun Herald reached out to Powers and Martin for additional comment.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 4:31 PM.
