NEWS ANALYSIS

MILT THOMAS

County Commissioner Tim Zorc recently proposed establishing a special economic development fund to be spent on what he termed, “unique welcome branding.”  Though Zorc did not offer any specific examples of how the money would be spent, Commissioner Wesley Davis supported the request and made a motion to move forward with it, but Zorc’s idea quickly withered in the absence of support from the remaining three Commissioners.

No county commission, especially ours, would ever approve such a nebulous request for funds in these tight financial times.

Missing from Zorc’s proposal was at least one key element – collaboration.  The Indian River County Chamber of Commerce is the county’s authorized agency for economic development, yet Zorc did not discuss his proposal in advance with them, nor with the recognized advisory committee on economic development, the Economic Development Council.

When confronted about his failure to work through the established channels for such a request, Zorc said that he has been constantly frustrated in his attempts to improve the Economic Development Council, for which he is the Commission’s liaison. He again brought up his 12 point goals and objectives which he announced at his first EDC meeting.

Zorc insists he is being ignored and his ideas unwelcome. He has brought this complaint up at several Commission meetings. At one meeting earlier this year, County Attorney, Alan Polackwich, had to explain what “liaison” means as well as the role of the EDC.

Presumably, Polackwich’s explanation of the role of a liaison helped Zorc understand why his goals and objectives were not immediately embraced by the EDC, but that did not keep Zorc from bringing his complaint up yet again at Tuesday’s Commission meeting.

Zorc’s excuse for not working through the Chamber is that he believes Economic Development Director, Helene Caseltine, already has too heavy a workload and he didn’t want to burden her.   But Zorc’s explanation for not being communicative or collaborative lacks the ring of truth.—

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.