All of the issues the Coahoma County Tourism office is facing is not stopping interim director Tom Jones from making sure business is running as usual.
Jones has been running things since Kappi Allen’s sudden resignation on Feb. 26 and the state has been investigating the tourism office since.
The tourism commission took one more step in getting things back to normal at its Wednesday, May 9 meeting by agreeing to advertise to fill the position of a tourism director.
The ad was placed on the Mississippi Department for Employment Security website and applications may be picked up at the Clarksdale WIN Job Center located at 236 Sharkey Ave. The WIN Job Center will review all applications.
Jones, who is a candidate himself for the position, said the board has not placed a timetable for hiring someone.
However, he did say the next director should be familiar with the Delta, business, tourism and friendly to visiting tourists and must have enough interest and imagination to think of ways to bring tourism here.
“I think the board addressed that when they put into the position description, ‘knowledge of local community Coahoma County,’” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why it has to go through the WIN Job Center. You’ve got to have that ability to know what’s going on. I think a person totally outside would have a certain amount of difficulty until they got acclimated.”
The status of the state’s investigation has not changed.
Jones said the investigator could not give him a timetable of when it would be completed.
“The investigator has been very thorough and very professional,” he said. “The board has been extremely helpful and responsive. We’re on the right path.”
As of now, Jones said approximately $45,000 in past due bills in the tourism office have been discovered. Arrangements have been made to pay close to half those bills.
“We are negotiating with various companies about the debts we owe them,” Jones said. “Some are very gracious and have knocked down and given us rebates and percentages off. Some are adamant about getting paid and we try our best to pay them.”
Jones said it is business as usual with getting visitors in the tourism office from many different places including Italy, the Netherlands and Australia. He added comments from tourists continue to be positive.
