Park City votes to remove Helton from tourism commission
By Damon Stone, Freelance Reporter
Park City Council held a public hearing for the removal of a commissioner from the Park City Tourism and Convention Commission on Monday, June 10, at 5:30 p.m., thirty minutes before a special-called meeting was held.
The hearing presented evidence that Eric Helton had not adequately performed his duties, showing malfeasance, neglect of duty, and a conflict of interest.
They presented evidence for malfeasance that on Monday, May 13, Helton had yelled a profanity at City Commissioner Mike Burgess in front of several other people, and had refused to work with Burgess and Park City Mayor Larry Poteet to try and improve the relationship between the city and commission.
They presented evidence for neglect of duty for allowing meetings to be called in violation of the Open Meetings Law after repeated attempts to bring the Commission into compliance with the law.
The Open Meetings Law, according to the Kentucky state government, offers to provide Kentuckians with “essential access” to their government, promoting transparency between the government and people by allowing them to observe meetings in a public space.
The council presented evidence for conflict of interest by establishing that Helton benefits from the commission, as the majority of funding spent by the commission includes Diamond Caverns, of which Helton is the general manager, providing him a personal and professional benefit.
Additionally, the council addressed that the Tourism Director, Linda Watts, is also an employee of Diamond Caverns, with the two making decisions regarding how the tourism money is spent.
Helton responded to the letter with one of his own, stating that, as of June 3, he had been provided no means of scheduling a hearing, and that he feels that it would be a “Kangaroo Court,” with him being deemed guilty before getting to defend himself, along with stating that the mayor has “blatantly lied” about getting a hearing.
Helton was not present for the hearing, but was present for the special-called city commission meeting at 6 p.m.
As there was no defense provided during the hearing, the council voted unanimously, giving Helton three days as of the end of the meeting to formally resign.
