Don’t Rule County Commissioner Stacy Ritter Out for Tourism Job

When Nicki Grossman was appointed Broward County’s tourism director in 1995, her primary experience was that she had been a county commissioner.

So it is hypocritical to hear today that County Commissioner Stacy Ritter is not suitable to be Grossman’s replacement because she is not a tourism professional.

By every account, Grossman has done a wonderful job as tourism chief of Broward. I believe one of the reasons is what I’ve argued in print and on television —  the tourism director is a job that demands a significant amount of political skills. That is something that Grossman brought to the job and Ritter will, too.

You can buy professional experience, maybe as a second-in-command. You can’t buy political experience and knowledge of the community.