Monday, November 23, 2015

TDC Job Posting Questionable Requirements, Excludes Qualified Applicants?

St. Johns County TDC Executive Director Glenn Hastings' successor is an important hiring decision. There needs to be more diversity. The ad needs to be rewritten so as to avoid violating EEO law. Was the description written too narrowly? Reckon?

1. Who wrote this dumb 'ole job ad -- where is the justification that these are bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQs) under our civil rights laws?  

2. Waiting on a response to my Requests No. 2015-427.  It seems that unaccountable St. Johns County Administrator MICHAEL WANCHICK and his henchmen are in need of consciousness-raising and may have written this job description for the next Tourist Development Council Director around some friend or relative whom they want to hire, perhaps from Texas, and favoring people certified by a trade group.  

3. Sexual orientation is still not a protected class in St. Johns County government in 2015: GLBT tourists, stay in either St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, and avoid other locations, like Ponte Vedra and World Golf Village, whose government officials don't believe we deserve legal protections.  

4. Applicants are required to have drivers' licenses, excluding blind people and other persons with disabilities.  Why is this a BFOQ?  Virtually every government and private sector in St. Johns County uses this exclusionary requirement.  Enough.

5. There is an illegal requirement/preference for Certified Domestic Marketing Executive (CDME) certification, which only some 200-300 people have obtained (from a trade group).  Here's a photo of 2015 CDME "graduates" -- they do not appear to be all that diverse (but neither is WANCHICK's tatterdemalion ME-Publican St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners' upper management, in a place Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called "the most lawless" in America!):






TOURSM/CULTRAL EVENTS DIR - CAT IV ADMIN SPECIAL USES

St. Johns County seeks a Tourism and Cultural Events Director to be responsible for directing the county?s (sic) tourism and cultural events functions. Identifies and researches issues relevant to the County?s (sic) tourism industry?s (sic) economic health, sustainability, and community impacts; provides related reports to the Tourist Development Council (TDC) and makes programmatic, funding and other recommendations to the TDC and Board of County Commissioners. Recommends policies which balance the development and promotion of tourism as a community interest and support encouraging private-sector investment in the tourism industry in order to sustain tourism?s(sic) economic benefits to the community. Establishes the overall direction of TDC programs including those initiatives accomplished through independent contracting agencies. Establishes benchmarks to monitor progress toward achievement of well-defined objectives and goals. Seeks a balance between the residential and business communities recognizing basic concepts of cultural and heritage leisure and group tourism and the importance of authentic destination experiences based upon the community. Makes recommendations to the TDC regarding new program development and/or changes to existing programs based on analysis of data collected. Serves as the chief advocate for tourism development with the Board of County Commissioners, legislative leaders, municipal governments and the general public. Applies practices of good governance in programmatic decision-making and implementation used in the development of tourism. Completes evaluations of TDC funded programs including identifying consequences of any TDC actions and tourism impacts. Evaluates effectiveness and contract compliance of TDC third-party development and marketing agencies. In collaboration with the County Finance Office, establishes a program for oversight and the approval of vendor payments for all expenses paid for with the Local Option Tourist Development (LOTD) Funds. Act as chief spokesperson with local media on behalf of the TDC and any programs funded with LOTD Funds. Staff (sic) the executive office of the TDC as necessary to fulfill the assigned responsibilities. Maintains a full-time presence on the job with ability to work evenings, holidays and weekends as needed. Performs other duties as assigned. Thorough understanding of Cultural/Creative/Heritage tourism principles and practices. Must have knowledge of economic development principles and practices. Must have understanding of research fundamentals including data collection and interpretation. Must have understanding of destination marketing methods. Must have advanced knowledge of strategic planning principals including demand generation through heritage, cultural or sport festival and event development. Must have knowledge of government and corporate accounting and auditing principals. Must have understanding of environmental psychology as it relates to the quality of visitor experience. Must have understanding of in-destination mobility, historic preservation and zoning issues. Must have knowledge of computers and job related software programs. Must be skilled in the analysis of problems and the development and implementation of solutions. Skilled in preparation of clear and precise administrative reports. Skilled in oral and written communication. Must have knowledge and level of competency commonly associated with completion of a baccalaureate degree in a course of study related to the occupational field. Masters degree in related field preferred. Must have sufficient experience to understand the diverse objectives and functions of the subunits in the department in order to direct and coordinate work within the department, usually interpreted to require five or more years of related experience. Must be certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation preferred. Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver?s (sic) license and any other endorsements necessary to legally operate vehicles used while assigned to this position. Must possess good interpersonal and communication skills. Must be able to comprehend, speak and write the English language. Must be able to operate a computer and job related technologies. St. Johns County is a drug free workplace and an equal opportunity employer. All employment actions are taken without regard to race, religion, national origin, color, sex, marital status, age, disability, or genetics.
Pay Grade: 25
Pay Range: $78,754.07
Deadline: Posted Until Filled


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