Politics

Commissioners replace TDA chair

By Bill Moss, Published: June 24, 2015

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners booted Shannon Clarke from the chairmanship of the county Tourism Development Board on Wednesday and replaced him with David Nicholson, the former county manager who cast the only no vote when the TDA agreed to fund the proposed Ecusta Trail.

Nicholson had served as the first chairman of the board when state legislation changed it from an advisory board to an authority in 2012.
Clarke had been a vocal supporter not only of the proposed Hendersonville-to-Brevard greenway but of the Flat Rock Playhouse, casting both the trail and the theater as important cogs in the tourism engine of Henderson County.
Commissioner Grady Hawkins nominated Nicholson, a 30-year Henderson County employee who rose through the finance department ranks and served as  county manager from 1996 until 2005. Commissioner Michael Edney nominated Clarke. The board voted 4-1 for Nicholson, with Edney voting for Clarke.

Grady Hawkins"I didn't know that. Oh,wow," Clarke said when told of the board's action Wednesday morning. "My understanding is they had asked me to continue as chair. (Board clerk) Terry Wilson called me yesterday and asked me if I was interested in staying on as chair." He told her he was. "I'm really surprised. I don't have any thoughts either way."

"They always told me they were pleased with the direction that we had been going," he said. "Maybe it's just a gesture of good will toward Mr. Nicholson."

David NicholsonHawkins cited Nicholson's broad experience as the reason for his nomination.

"I think David Nicholson is highly qualified and very knowledgeable and experienced in the TDA as we move into the tourist season," he said. "And he's certainly been a county manager and had an association with the county managers' association."

Hawkins said his move had nothing to do with the TDA's support of the Playhouse or the Ecusta Trail. "That's their business," he said.

Clarke was appointed in July 2013 to a term that expires in 2017. Nicholson’s term expires on June 30, 2016.
Commissioners made no comments on either Nicholson or Clarke nor did they discuss any of the TDA’s actions. Clarke is a property manager for a group home. Nicholson serves as executive director of the North Carolina Apple Festival.

The TDA voted 7-1 in April to set aside a quarter cent of its 5-cent sales tax on lodging for future development of the trail. A quarter cent would generate $70,000 to $80,000 a year.