Chamber director finds difficulty in organizing event

The director of the local chamber of commerce was hired last year to organize three events, but he said he was having difficulty organizing even one because of an inability to book musical acts.

Scott Crotzer, director of the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce, told the city’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Wednesday he also was more motivated to improve the finances of his office than organizing events.

Noting the lack of funding from the city and county in 2020 and 2021, he said the chamber’s coffers have not bounced back sufficiently since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have to figure out how to make the chamber solvent,” Crotzer said.

After the meeting, Crotzer said the chamber isn’t going broke, but he seeks to bring its lagging finances back to pre-pandemic levels.

“We are not in the hole,” he said.

Former city manager Mark Martinez shepherded an events coordinator contract with Crotzer to organize last year’s Piñata Fiesta with the understanding it was a trial run for three events a year if it were successful.

Though many residents praised the Piñata Fiesta, Crotzer said “that’s not the caliber of events I’m used to,” citing his background in that field.

Crotzer said he had planned for an event for April, but the date has been moved six times. He said the tentative date now is August, mainly because music acts he’s been trying to book aren’t returning phone calls.

The board’s discussions circled back to the chamber when the city’s tourism marketing director, Robyn Beaubien, was asked about developing the city’s YouTube channel using Fast TV Network footage from the Motorcycle Cannonball stop in September. Beaubien said her budget didn’t allow her to develop that channel, but it could be started in the next fiscal year.

Beaubien also pointed out her tourism marketing contract was supposed to be temporary and that the city eventually should hire its own marketer who lives in the area.

Board Chairman Matt Bednorz said such a contract might be taken up by the chamber director.

“It might be a thing to save the chamber,” he said.

Board member Michael Carlson said improving the chamber’s finances is a “high priority item” that needed to be placed on the agenda of a future meeting.

He said city manager Paula Chacon, who has been at the position since August, might use miscellaneous funds for the chamber.

Carlson also suggested that Chacon can’t be blamed for problems by a previous administration.

“I know there’s tons of problems from the past, and she’s burned under promises that can’t be kept,” he said.

In other business:

— During public comments, David Brenner said 17 people have volunteered to be a part of a local Route 66 centennial committee that will help organize events in 2026.

Brenner said the events will emphasize Tucumcari history, including its early history as a stop on the Ozark Trail, and Route 66 culture. He anticipated the committee would be officially formed by late March.

Brenner, a former board chairman, also pushed back on board discussion about using lodgers tax funds as a source of startup funds for new events.

“It’s better to handle it as a reimbursement, in my opinion,” he said, noting its hard to recover startup money if the event is canceled.

Chacon also said she was uncertain about the legality of awarding lodgers tax funds before an event.

— Also during public comments, Jerry Lopez criticized a proposal to increase rental rates at the Tucumcari Convention Center.

“It’s embarrassing to use that facility. The fifth is disgusting,” he said.

He said the polished concrete floor, finished last year, “looks like a garage” and that the facility offers few services for clients.

Lopez also said a $38,000 repair to the center’s north wall never was done.

One board member pointed out that 1 1/2 employees were budgeted for the center, but the hires never were made — mostly because of shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chacon pledged to resolve any of the problems with the facility.

“We want this to shine,” she said. “We want to build it back up again. We’ll get there.”

— The board voted to postpone the election of officers until June, which is about the time the city commission will select three new board members.

Carlson, who made the motion, said, “It’s futile to do it now for only three months.” Board bylaws state it should elect officers in January, but members previously delayed the vote because Al Patel was out of the country for several months.

— The board approved a total of $6,657.96 in reimbursements for the 2021 and 2022 Rattler Reunions. Event treasurer Dana Leonard apologized for not bringing the requests to previous meetings, as he said the Reunion was erroneously informed that a final report in front of the board was not required.

— The board tabled a request from Lopez, president of the Tucumcari Zia Club, to receive $2,500 in city matching funds for two events at the club in April. The club has received $2,500 from the New Mexico Music Commission for booking two New Mexico-based acts.

Lopez said he was unaware of an application or process to receive the city match. Chacon said she would try to find the memorandum of understanding with the music commission to clarify the arrangement, then possibly schedule a special board meeting to vote on the request.

— The board approved final revisions for the application for lodgers tax funds that includes an addendum for events booked after the usual mid-March application deadline.