A letter sent to the Block Island Tourism Council President Steve Filippi by resident Ed Hayde questioning policies and oversight methods of the Tourism Council was also copied to The Block Island Times. The Times then reached out to the members of the Council for their responses, which they chose to do in letter form.
To the Editor:
“When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself a public property.”
This quote by Thomas Jefferson speaks to concerns that have lingered for years involving the Block Island Tourism Council (BITC). It is the recent actions of the Board of Directors, BITC Executive Director Jessica Willi, as well as the appearance of impropriety, that compels this letter.
BITC is funded by tax dollars generated by tourist activity here on Block Island. Consistently, nearly $300,000 each year is returned to the BITC to promote tourism here as well as address issues that arise from the growth in tourism. Currently, the Executive Director’s compensation package consumes approximately one-third of that budget for what the Director portrays as a full-time position to promote Block Island as a destination for tourists. Based on the BITC budget, the Director has enjoyed a
