Gibbons renews push for tourism director

Gov. Jim Gibbons is refusing to back down from his demand that the Tourism Commission pick Kirk Montero as the state's new tourism director, issuing a release late Wednesday designed to renew the pressure.

Gibbons attempted to appoint Montero, station manager for US Airways at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, to the post a week ago. He was informed by the commission and the attorney general's office he must make his choice from a list of three candidates selected by the commission.

Montero's application, according to Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who chairs the commission, isn't among the 67 who applied for the post during a nationwide search. He said it was received 10 days after the deadline

Gibbons responded with a letter to Krolicki stating that when the list of three reaches his desk, "I expect the recommendations to include Mr. Kirk Montero."

The commission Monday refused to add Montero, 60, to the list of finalists for the $117,000-a-year job.

Commissioner Ryan Sheltra said they have "some very highly qualified candidates vying for this position."

"And, as a member of the search committee, I can tell you Mr. Montero's resume would not have made it into my top 10," he said.

The vote by the commission to proceed with their current list of candidates was unanimous.

Gibbons fired back Wednesday.

"I stand by my belief that Kirk Montero would be an effective and excellent head of NCOT," said Gibbons in the release. "I am frustrated by the fact that it is taking so long to appoint a director for NCOT in light of the fact that tourism is so vital to our state."

Former director Tim Maland resigned in September.

Gibbons also claims that Montero's application wasn't late, that one of his staff delivered it "long before the application deadline."

Gibbons also criticized the commission's marketing efforts aimed at Asia.

"In light of our current worldwide recession, I believe strongly that these efforts are a waste of taxpayers' money," he said.

Gibbons charged that some commission members who took a trip to Asian markets didn't attend all the business meetings during that trip.

"It seems unconscionable that such wasteful spending can be allowed," he said.

On Thursday, Krolicki responded to Gibbons' comments, saying, "I find the tone and content very disappointing."

He said he was especially upset at the accusations about the Asia marketing trip.

"If that is a reference to me, my expenses were assessed to the participants in the Nevada delegation," he said. "No state dollars paid for my trip."

He said no general fund dollars paid for any of that tour.

And he said the delegation worked to develop different parts of that market, from governmental contacts to travel businesses to trade shows.

Krolicki described the Asian market as one of the most important to Nevada.

"From a client profile standpoint, they are among the most attractive visitors in Nevada," he said. "They stay longer, spend more money, consume more goods and enjoy more entertainment than just about any other visitor."

He said the major resorts in Nevada all have teams catering exclusively to the Asian tourist markets.

Krolicki said Wednesday's release pushing for Montero's appointment was especially confusing. He said at Gibbons' direction, he along with both tourism and economic development officials met last Friday with the budget office to discuss how to combine those two commissions into one and save money by eliminating the tourism director's position.

- Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.