Mitch Peters, president of the Indiana Dunes Tourism Board, says he will not step down from the volunteer position as requested last week by Porter County Council Vice President Red Stone, R-1st.
Stone asked Peters to resign during a phone call Friday following the council’s reluctant approval March 26 of a $225,000 settlement reached between the tourism board and former Indiana Dunes Tourism executive director Lorelei Weimer who resigned abruptly in January.
The salary of the remaining two years of Weimer’s three-year contract was the basis for the settlement, but Stone questioned why Weimer had a contract to begin with and said he felt the council was being kept in the dark on how the settlement came to pass.
In an email sent to Stone Monday, Peters defended his decision not to resign. The Post-Tribune received a redacted copy of the email.
“Although I made it known in 2023 that I did not intend to seek reappointment to the Tourism Board, I changed my mind when … I felt continuity of leadership and experience was essential,” Peters said in the email. “I committed to both the Tourism Board and the Staff that I would seek an additional two-year appointment to get through this process and to guide the ongoing projects mentioned above.”
Peters, who has been on the board for 14 years and president for 13, said in a phone call Tuesday, “I don’t think it’s in the best interest of Indiana Dunes Tourism or Porter County and all the projects we’ve got going on right now” to step down.
He cited a range of projects from the public-facing Indigenous Cultural Trail and gift shop conversion from a national park storefront to one run by the county, to behind-the-scenes work such as simplifying the grant program and negotiating a new long-term lease with the National Parks Service for the portion of the Visitors Center it uses.
Peters said the tourism board has decided to be more actively engaged in the day-to-day operations of Indiana Dunes Tourism given the leadership change. Former assistant director Christine Livingston has been serving as acting executive director since Weimer’s departure.
“I serve at the pleasure of the council,” Peters said. “In talking to the entire council, it does not appear that the majority are in favor of my resignation.”
Peters said he has had phone conversations with every member of the county council except President Mike Brickner, R-At-large, who is recovering from surgery.
Weimer has said she resigned after 33 years with the tourism agency, including 22 years as its leader, because it was time to move on, though news of her departure came as a surprise to county officials.
“There are no allegations that Lorelei engaged in any malfeasance or criminal activity of any nature,” Peters said last month about Weimer’s departure. “I don’t want any misconceptions out there about that issue.”
The makeup of the tourism board was discussed at Tuesday’s Porter County Board of Commissioners meeting following a 2-to-1 vote to revise Resolution 13-04 to remove a party affiliation requirement that dated back to 2013 for the Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission.
Indiana Dunes Tourism director Lorelei Weimer speaks during the “State of Tourism” address in Chesterton on March 16, 2023. She resigned in January.
Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, and Vice President Barb Regnitz, R-Center, voted in favor of removing the affiliation requirement, while Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-Center, voted against it.
“It’s my understanding that it’s heavily Democrat,” Biggs said of the tourism board.
“I don’t think it should be heavily any party,” Blaney replied.
Regnitz said the board is mandated to have an odd number of members. She explained two appointments are made by the Portage mayor, five by the board of commissioners, one by the county council, and one each by Valparaiso, Burns Harbor/Porter/Chesterton, and Kouts/Hebron.
Peters is the council’s appointment.
“I personally feel the council’s appointment should be a member of the council itself,” Biggs said. “Much of what they do over there isn’t run through the auditor’s office and that’s part of the problem over there.”
Following the meeting Biggs and Regnitz elaborated.
“It’s like they’re an island all by themselves over there,” Regnitz said, adding that the tourism staff has a different payroll system that they had trouble navigating when the staff member who previously handled payroll also left her job in November. “They didn’t even understand the vacation policy,” she said.
Biggs feels the tourism board should be shrunk to five members and expects to do so in the next three weeks. The board of commissioners meets again April 23. “We’re not doing ourselves any favors by letting this hang out there,” he said.
Stone said the issue isn’t over for him. “I’m going to stay on this topic of conversation because something is wrong there,” he said Wednesday. “Most people think Lorelei did something wrong. Well, how do you know she did anything?
“She did a good job for Chesterton. She did a good job for Porter. She did a good job for Porter County.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
