After 24 Years of Success On Two Fronts the Pacific Partnership Wants a New Deal ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
By Pauline Masson –
After 24 years of luring new businesses to the old downtown business district and welcoming big crowds to outdoor events, the Pacific Partnership rejected a new contract with the City of Pacific, leaving many observers to question what is it all about.
In an email message to the City, Josh Sachs, Partnership president said the group wanted to cancel the existing contract with the City and negotiate a new agreement. The email said they ‘intend’ to go to the Tourism Commission to craft a ‘mutually beneficial’ agreement.
The decision came to light during the Dec. 19 board of aldermen (BOA) meeting, when five individuals addressed the BOA on behalf of the Partnership, detailing the group’s success in orchestrating public events and revitalizing the downtown business district.
The tone of the speakers was to scold city officials for disrespecting Partnership leaders. The main bone of contention seemed to center on the City’s request for financial disclosures from the Partnership on how the city tourism tax funds were spent.
Sarah Summers, Partnership treasurer said the city’s request amounted to “very disheartening vague accusations and a clear distrust for what many of us (Partnership leaders) have put our hearts into.”
“No one reached out to us,” she said.”Your accusations led the community to question the partnership and its board of volunteers.”
Val Droege, Partnership executive director echoed Summers comments, saying that in her six months with the Partnership no one from the city had contacted her.
“We are a 501(c)3 organization,” she said. “All you have to do is request this information through the proper channels” – whatever that means.
Droege said she wanted to end the disconnect between the City and the Partnership.
One has to question, where were these Partnership leaders were in 2022, when aldermen pressed former City Administrator Steve Roth to obtain the financial reports of the ($32,000 – at one point $50,000 annually) city tourism tax money awarded to the Partnership. The contract stated that the Partnership would report quarterly but for two years no reports were submitted.
“All you have to do is ask,” Droege said. They did ask, more than once, loudly and sometimes not as friendly as they could have been. No one accused the Partnership of any wrong doing. They said we need a report of how the city taxes awarded to the Partnership were spent.
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There seems to be a disconnect between the current Partnership leaders and the 20 plus years of successes that past Partnership leaders have produced. _____________________________________________________________________________________
The Partnership was formed in 2002 with a mission to restore the heritage of the city through restoration and maintenance of historic buildings in Old Town Pacific, according to a May, 2003 letter to the City from Jim Schwinkendorf, the group’s first president.
The tourism tax and Tourism Commission came much later.
What prompted the formation of the Partnership was the transfer of ownership of the McHugh-Dailey building. On the death of the late artist Joe McHugh in August 1999, Jim McHugh, Webster Groves attorney and political activist and his brother Marthasville dentist Dr. Bill McHugh inherited half of the landmark McHugh-Dailey building.
Jim McHugh surveyed his inheritance and the sleepy downtown area that surrounded it and called for the community to come together to revitalize the old downtown business district. Mayor Jill Pigg agreed and over a period of weeks listened to McHugh’s ideas. A consummate big picture thinker, McHugh offered more ideas than any city could accomplish quickly. Mayor Pigg organized a meeting of Old Town stake holders at City Hall. And from that meeting the Pacific Partnership was formed.
At almost the same time, Bill McLaren, industrial excavator, amateur barbecue chef, metal sculptor and civic activist – who provided his hand-crafted steam engine styled barbecue cookers and himself to help local non-profit groups hold barbecue fundraisers – was also forming a committee to improve success of local activities.
Recognizing that the groups often scheduled their barbecues on the same weekend, McLaren urged local non-profit groups to band together in the Pacific Community Action Committee (PCAC), schedule separate fundraising dates and help each other with their events,
The PCAC turned to local businesses to help fund and promote the events, with McLaren writing his check first before asking other business owners to contribute. McLaren soon recognized that the group needed a 501(c)3, so donors could deduct the donations from their taxes. With attorney McHugh as its biggest promoter, the Partnership had a 501(c)3. At McHugh’s invitation the PCAC merged into the Partnership.
The first public event, which came quickly after McHugh’s litany of activities that they city ought to be doing, and which opened the flood gate for future outdoor gatherings, was 2003 Railroad Day Celebration. _________________________________________________________________________________________
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The combined organization still needed funds and relied on local businesses to contribute. McLaren and Chamber of Commerce executive director Becky Toney began a campaign for the City of Pacific to ask voters to approve a hotel bed tax for overnight visitors.
In Jefferson City, State Representative Harold Selby and State Senator John Griesheimer wrote and marshaled through the legislature a bill that authorized the City to go to the voters with a request for approval a tourism tax.
With McLaren and Toney leading the campaign, on Apr. 6, 2007 Pacific voters approved the tourism tax with a vote of 357 yes, or 60 percent, to 238 no.
The rules were specific. A five member Tourism Commission – made up of one local hotel-motel operator, two local tourism business owners, and two other business professionals – would establish the budget, which had to be approved by the BOA, for the collected taxes and determine how they would be spent. The revenues received from the tax were to be used for advertising and promotion of tourism.
The mayor and BOA appointed commission members. The commission initiated a practice of fielding requests for tourism funds from groups planning activities for visitors and forwarding a recommendation to the BOA for approval.
What followed was phenomenal, by any measure.
The Partnership accepted the operation of the Car Show – originally called Cruise Night – and moved it from the city park to downtown Pacific. The group would eventually take on the former Chamber of Commerce Spookfest and also move it from the park to St.Louis street. They initiated Christmas on the Plaza to kick off the holiday season. For all these events, they asked for and received tourism tax money to advertise their event. They also received help from the City.
Shelia Steelman, City economic development director coordinated the efforts of city workers to close off city streets, rent public toilets, erect signs leading to parking and detours, and place first responder crews close to the crowds. The Pacific Police Department called in all its part time officers to provide crowd control.
Loyd Harris, alderman and super volunteer, recruited and organized a corps of volunteers – year after year and event after event – to set up vendor spaces, deliver event supplies, monitor traffic and clean up the city streets the morning after. _________________________________________________________________________________________
Partnership leaders agreed to manage a Missouri Main Street grant aimed at helping cities revitlize their dormant shopping districts. Within a decade, downtown saw a series of businesses restore and open in historic buildings: The Great Pacific Coffee Company in the McHugh-Dailey building; Brown Jerry’s; First State Community Bank in the old grocery store; Little Ireland Coffee Shop in the former furniture store/funeral parlor; G’s Barbershop in a former real estate office;
It is unclear what prompted the recent discontent on the part of the Partnership. What is clear is it’s patent nonsense for current Partnership leaders to think they should be granted city tax funds to spend according to the dictates of their best judgment.
The notion that the Partnership can sidestep the BOA and go to the Tourism Commission to create an agreement isn’t even worth discussing.
The BOA awards the funds recommended by the Tourism Commission and has the responsibility to the citizens and the State to make sure the funds are spent appropriately.
The question, folks, is NOT is the Partnership doing a good job?
The Partnership deserves every accolade for its mission of conducting larger and better events, attracting new business to the downtown business district, and encouraging local businesses to dress up their store fronts. These programs have created a renaissance of sorts in Old Town.
The question IS which part and/or how much of those efforts should be funded with tourism tax money. Should tourism taxes pay for a Partnership executive director, identification plaques on old buildings, or facade grants to local businesses?
If the City desires to contract with the Partnership to improve the Old Town economy, should that effort be paid for with economic development funds?
Partnership leaders sounded defensive, defiant and whiney at last week’s meeting. But that’s the wrong message and the wrong fight.
Pacific and the surrounding area have benefitted from the partnership (with a small ‘p’) between the City, citizens, civic groups, businesses, tourists and the Partnership with a capital ‘P’ – all triggered by the vision of big thinkers like Jim McHugh and Bill McLaren.
Let’s celebrate!
