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Mesa council approves three-year Visit Mesa contract after members note past concerns
Summary
Mesa City Council voted unanimously June 16 to approve a three-year agreement with Visit Mesa after council members said previous governance concerns had been addressed and a 60-day termination clause included.
Councilmember Adams said he has a “vested interest in Visit Mesa,” and on June 16 the Mesa City Council voted unanimously to approve a three-year contract with the city’s tourism promotion organization; Councilmember Duff was absent.
The council approved the contract after members said prior governance issues had been investigated and addressed. Councilmember Adams said the Destination Mesa team and a consultant had answered most of his questions and that new safeguards, including a 60-day termination clause, made him comfortable supporting the agreement. “Visit Mesa is a institution here in Mesa, it's done a great number of good things and I think it still is pointed in the direction to do that,” Adams said.
Why it matters: Visit Mesa (also referenced as Destination Mesa during the meeting) oversees the city’s tourism promotion work; changes to its contract determine the length of the city’s formal engagement and the oversight structure for use of public funds. Adams noted the contract term had been shortened from a previous five-year arrangement to three years and that the 60‑day out clause provides an early termination option if new problems arise.
Council discussion focused on whether the shorter term and added contractual protections alleviated prior concerns. Adams said he served on the Visit Mesa board for 16 years and “some of the issues that have now been addressed, those happened under my watch. And I'll take responsibility for having not caught them.” He praised the board’s current chair and the consultant’s work to increase transparency.
Vice Mayor Summer also spoke in support of approving the agreement, citing confidence in the board’s leadership: “I just sort of, throw my $2.02 cents and my, confidence in Visit Mesa and the leadership, under, Dennis Kavanaugh as chair, as well as Mark Garcia as CEO. I think this, this is a good contract, addresses a lot of, some of the issues that that went on, and I think this is this is good going forward.”
Formal action: the council motion to approve the item was made by Vice Mayor Summer and seconded by Miss Bilsbury; the motion passed unanimously with Councilmember Duff absent.
The council returned to other consent-agenda business after the vote; no additional direction to staff or follow-up tasks on the Visit Mesa contract were recorded in the meeting minutes.
