DALTON, Ga. — As the Georgia Senate considers tax incentives designed to lure a hotel to the Northwest Georgia Trade Center and Convention Center, the center’s executive director, Rick Tanner, announced his resignation Wednesday.
The resignation came after a meeting of the Trade Center Authority Board.
Board Chairman Harvey Neal would not elaborate on the “personnel matters” surrounding Mr. Tanner’s resignation after four years.
“This is something new,” Mr. Neal said. “This is something that came up fairly rapidly.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Tanner issued a news release detailing “record” revenues. “The Trade Center is off to the best start in its 17-year history,” he wrote in an e-mail message. His resignation was announced five hours later.
Mr. Tanner did not respond to e-mail questions on reasons for his departure.
He did write in an e-mail that he would “love” to stay in Dalton. “As my background for the last 15 years has been in convention centers, ... and we only have the one, I will likely have to move,” he added.
Before coming to Dalton, he was general manager of a Glorieta, N.M., conference center.
“My family is tickled pink to be here,” he said, after arriving in Dalton in January 2004.
The resignation surprised local politicians, including Mayor David Pennington.
“It looked to me like he was doing fine,” Mr. Pennington said.
On Wednesday evening, Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton, had not heard about Mr. Tanner’s resignation.
Sen. Thomas said the General Assembly still is working on a bill that might entice developer John Q. Hammons to build an Embassy Suites Hotel adjacent to the trade center. “We’re still hopeful to get it through,” he said.
The hotel bill likely will be introduced to the Finance Committee today, Sen. Thomas said.
