NEWS ANALYSIS

MILT THOMAS

Zorc cited a recent meeting with a prospective company where he thought up his branding idea.  He and Caseltine both attended that meeting, but Zorc never mentioned his idea to her then or afterwards. This in spite of the fact Caseltine has met often with Zorc.

So, is Zorc creating a problem where none exists? And if so, why?

In an interview with this reporter last month, Zorc was specifically asked if he avoided working through the Chamber of Commerce on economic development matters.  In response, he said, “In December I met with Penny Chandler (Chamber president) who told me if I need anything to let her know. I’ve gone to prospect meetings with Helene and as busy as she is, Helene drops everything when a prospective business comes to town. I am not looking to change anything in terms of the way the Chamber operates. But I have heard from enough people not associated with the Chamber who want a place they can express their interest in helping with economic development and don’t think the Chamber is where they can go.”

According to Chandler, when Zorc was a candidate, she invited him to meet with her, but he declined. Soon after winning election, he was invited to meet with the Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee, but didn’t show up. After a Chamber representative checked with his office and learned that the meeting was on his calendar, Zorc was contacted at home and urged to come to the meeting as planned. He finally showed up 40 minutes late. So yes, he did meet with Chandler as he said, but only after no small effort was made to get him there.

Is Zorc avoiding the Chamber? At least in some cases he is clearly playing the lone economic development ranger, most notably when he was elected and at Tuesday’s Commission meeting where he proposed an economic development program never before discussed with the Chamber or the EDC. Zorc has also made several contacts with prospective companies without informing the Chamber of Commerce or the EDC, as is the protocol. So, the answer appears to be yes, he is avoiding the Chamber. But why?

As to Zorc’s 12 goals and objectives being ignored by the Economic Development Council, he neglected to mention that Economic Development Director Caseltine and EDC chairman Mitchell, both met with him in his office last month specifically to discuss all 12 of his goals and objectives. So why would he then go to County Attorney Alan Polackwich and ask about forming an alternate group to the EDC?

Commission chairman Joe Flescher, at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, expressed concern that a very successful working relationship between the Chamber of Commerce and County was being threatened by Zorc’s attempts to disrupt that relationship and he hoped this would not continue.

Chairman Flescher’s concern may well be justified. Beside asking Polackwich about forming a new economic development advisory committee, a source at the state level reported that they received an inquiry about starting a new chamber of commerce in Indian River County and that request came from Charlie Wilson.

Wilson is a former business partner of Zorc in his Asset Research Recovery business.  The business has since changed names but still works to obtain impact fee refunds from the county for a handsome commission.  Wilson is also very critical of the impact fee program at Commission meetings. A recent settlement over his $25,000 fee from the Museum of Art was widely reported in the media.

It is also widely speculated that Wilson served as Zorc’s “unofficial” campaign manager last fall when he ran for a seat on the Commission. Wilson, who appears every Tuesday on the Bob Soos morning show at WTTB as the “Professor of Political Baloney,” has frequently criticized the Chamber and its economic development efforts. His criticisms are largely unsubstantiated (reported in a separate story), yet he is given a prime spot on the Soos show, just before the weekly County Commission meeting.  Often, Zorc picks up at the Commission meeting where Wilson leaves off on the radio, as if the two are singing off the same sheet of music.

Wilson is also involved with Zorc’s recently proposed lagoon advisory group (or is it Wilson’s group and Zorc is its greatest proponent?)  Though Wilson will surely deny it, many suspect he is first in line to head up the new group Zorc is hoping to form, which he says he is doing to avoid Florida’s open government laws.

This is all very similar to a situation back in 2007, when Zorc’s predecessor (and mentor) Commissioner Gary Wheeler and Wilson tried to undermine the Chamber’s Tourism efforts through the EDC equivalent, the Tourist Development Council.

Wilson prepared a report on how outside agencies in some other markets handled tourism.  He recommended that Indian River County do the same, though he failed to interview anyone at the Chamber before issuing his preliminary report.   When Chandler went before the County Commission, it reaffirmed the existing contractual arrangement for the Chamber to carry out the county tourism development efforts. Now Wheeler’s replacement on the Commission, Tim Zorc, along with Wilson, appear to be following his predecessor’s suit by attempting to circumvent the Chamber’s economic development efforts.  What’s in it for Wilson?

Before coming to Indian River County, Wilson owned and managed Wilson & Associates, an advertising agency in St. Lucie County that handled that county’s Tourism Development Council advertising back in the late 1980s.

According to news accounts on the Scripps TCPalm website, auditors were never able to determine if Wilson’s firm received payment for $22,000 of services he did not render. The story also indicated that printing of tourism materials was run through a Wilson-owned print shop.

Wheeler’s and Wilson’s efforts back in 2007 to make a case for a separate tourism development office may have been an effort to create a job of Wilson, based on his experience with tourism marketing in St. Lucie County.

When Wilson was elected to the Vero Beach City Council in 2009, he was removed soon afterward from that position because it was determined that he did not meet the minimum residency requirements.  However, his success in winning that election and influencing the election of others, certainly demonstrates Wilson’s political activism.

This reporter has attempted to ask for an interview with Wilson, but is so far unsuccessful. Assuming that interview eventually occurs, maybe we will learn if there is there more than meets the eye to this apparent collaborative effort against the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council.