[Southsider2k12]

https://www.facebook.com/MichiganCityLaPort...151758633259855

Letter from LPCCVB Board President:

July 18, 2013

As President of the Board of the LaPorte County Convention & Visitor Bureau, I feel I must clear up some misconceptions and outright untruths that were conveyed to your group by the recent presentation made on June 9, 2013 by Lake County CVB Director, Speros Batistatos. Mr. Batistatos continues a pattern of outright hostility and threats to neighboring convention and Visitor bureaus that is completely at odds with his stated claim to being interested in regional cooperation.

I was particularly upset to read quotes attributed to Mr. Batistatos in the June 10th edition of the Times of Northwest Indiana in which he absurdly claimed that “I think consolidation’s done (of the various CVB’s in Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties), short of a couple of jobs that need to be eliminated and probably will.” This is the height of arrogance and hypocrisy for Mr. Batistatos to so bluntly predict that he will takeover these neighboring bureaus and then have their directors’ jobs eliminated.

Last time I checked, the only regional organization empowered to speak for the various bureaus on matters of regional tourism is the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission (NITDC), a solid seven county effort that Mr. Batistatos withdrew his membership from because he can’t control the organization. Furthermore, he refuses to join the statewide tourism entity as well.

I would strongly direct your attention to a May 15, 2013 Op/Ed in the Times of Northwest Indiana by LaPorte County CVB director, Jack Arnett, who wrote quite accurately that if “Speros can’t control the sandbox, he doesn’t want to play in it. He has no interest in real regional cooperation, but only wants to acquire or merge the LaPorte and Porter County visitor bureaus into a larger entity he can control.”

I cannot say with more vehemence just how committed LaPorte County and our county elected officials are to maintaining our own bureau here that works cooperatively with other bureaus. It is outrageous that Mr. Batistatos continues to make these self-serving and confrontational statements that do not serve the cause of regional cooperation, but only hinder that mutual assistance. Furthermore, there is no legal authority for him to spend Lake County CVB money outside of Lake County for anything other than promotional booklets and I suspect many of your members would be indignant were they to learn that CVB money meant for Lake County is being diverted from worthwhile projects or events in Gary to Mr. Batistatos’ chosen events or functions in other counties. I hope you will request a detailed list of his expenditures for the past five years and then you and your board determine if Gary is truly getting its “fair share” of CVB funds.

There is no hue and cry from either Porter or LaPorte County to be represented by the Lake County CVB. He is misleading your members to say that “a fair amount of hotels in LaPorte County are writing a membership check” when all they do is purchase ad space in his booklets.

Legislators in both Porter County and LaPorte County remain heavily committed to the bureaus in both counties. His empty threats of securing legislation to accomplish a forced merger or takeover are meaningless and should be dismissed for the confrontational rhetoric they represent.

I trust at the end of the day you and other recognized leaders in Lake County will prevail upon Mr. Batistatos to lay down the rhetorical sword he is so fond of using against his neighboring bureaus
and that you will encourage him to join a regional organization such as NITCD and really start undertaking a genuine effort at regional cooperation rather than continuing to utter threats of a hostile takeover.

Respectfully,

Patricia A. Harris,
President, Board of Managers
LaPorte Co. Convention & Visitor Bureau

[Tim]

Patricia seems to be, if nothing else, a cunning linguist.

[taxthedeer]

Mr. Batistatos was on 96-7 the Eagle in La Porte talking about that Porter and La Porte County does not offer enough public access to Lake Michigan.

[Southsider2k12]

I really can't argue with that point.

[Southsider2k12]

Still going...

PRESS RELEASE
TUESDAY, September 10, 2013

LAPORTE COUNTY CVB DIRECTOR: SPEROS IS THE
‘DON RICKLES” OF NORTHWEST INDIANA TOURISM

(LaPorte, Indiana) -- LaPorte County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau Director Jack Arnett today called the Lake County CVB Director Speros Batistatos the “Don Rickles” of Northwest Indiana Tourism saying that Batistatos had insulted the “Indianapolis Colts, the Gary Genesis Center and the Porter County Convention Bureau in the space of about a week.” Arnett, who has challenged Batistatos’ claims that his bureau should acquire neighboring bureaus, says that Batistatos’ actions show “once again he can’t play in the sandbox with others and he is certainly not suited to represent our entire region, much less his own county.”

Arnett said that Batistatos “ended August by going after the Indianapolis Colts for doing a photo shoot of their cheerleaders in Saugatuck, Michigan. “C’mon – get real,” Arnett said. “The Indianapolis Colts are strong partners for Northwest Indiana and came to LaPorte last year on a promotional tour and participate in a Pop Warner League certification which covers 24 communities in Northwest Indiana.” Arnett is a regional director for Pop Warner covering 11 states and said that “the Indianapolis Colts promote youth sports and have a huge presence even in Batistatos’ own county. “If he wasn’t so busy trying to take over neighboring counties, he’d see that the Colts help organize training for hundreds of coaches and volunteers throughout our region.”

Batistatos was also quoted in the September 5th Post Tribune as saying the Genesis Center was “obsolete the day it was built” and that it cannot host conferences or conventions. Said Arnett, “If Battistatos would contribute to functions in Gary like he does now in other counties it might help build convention business at the Genesis Center.” Arnett charged there is “no legal authority for Battistatos to be spending Lake County CVB money on functions like the Popcorn Fest in Valpo or a softball tournament there when he is neglecting tourist events in his own county. If I’m a Lake County taxpayer, I’d be furious that Batistatos’ efforts at empire building are coming at the expense of functions in his own backyard, like Pierogi Fest, where he doesn’t contribute a dime directly.”

Arnett added it was outrageous for Batistatos to tell the Valparaiso Kiwanis Club (Post-Tribune, 9/5/13) that he was doing “a lot more for Porter County than your own visitors’ bureau.” The LaPorte County CVB director praised his colleague Loralei Weimer of Porter County for her bureau’s “creative and highly successful” efforts, and said “Batistatos has insulted so many entities and so many individuals on such a regular basis that his criticisms have no credibility.”

“The guy is certainly no goodwill ambassador for Northwest Indiana, and his refusal to join the 9 county Northern Indiana Tourism Consortium or even the state tourism organization, is further proof of that. He doesn’t play well in the sandbox with others and his constant insults have earned him the title the Don Rickles of Tourism.”
For more information contact Jack Arnett, LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, at 219.872.5055.

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http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...219ce128df.html

n response, Batistatos, who has openly stated a desire for a regional tourism bureau, called Arnett a "little man" and challenged him to discuss real facts like, "who's filling up more hotel beds."

"This has become so unfortunate I can't even convey the extreme lack of intelligence and integrity that man displays at every turn," said Batistatos.

He also questioned the accuracy of some of Arnett's claims saying, "the man draws an opinion without any research or facts like he draws oxygen from the air."

"What do you expect from a pig other than an oink?" Batistatos said.