Pageant Press: Miss Ohio pageant not coming to Zanesville

Miss Ohio pageant not coming to Zanesville

Kathy Thompson / Zanesville Times Recorder

November 12, 2010

ZANESVILLE -- Zanesville Mayor Butch Zwelling was visibly upset when he announced the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program will remain in Mansfield.

"I've worked on getting the pageant here for three years," Zwelling said Thursday. "I don't think I'll do it again unless there's a strong indication they would come."

Zwelling said he gave pageant board members a verbal commitment of three years and offered them almost $400,000 in hopes of luring them to Zanesville.

"$81,000 of that was in-kind money and the rest was cash from about 30 businesses in the community," Zwelling said. "They would have filled up our motels and restaurants and brought in millions of dollars to the community."

Zwelling said the in-kind money would have been for items such as a $5,000 break on renting Secrest Auditorium, which usually is rented for $10,000, and for at least $5,000 in security provided by the Zanesville Police Department.

While Lee Tasseff, director of the Mansfield-Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said there was no written contract presented by Zwelling and that Zwelling had never taken the proposal to Zanesville City Council for approval, Zwelling said he didn't need to get council approval for his proposals.

"I don't need council approval to give someone a break on renting the auditorium," Zwelling said.

The pageant has been hosted in Mansfield for the past 36 years. Zwelling said he knew there was a strong pull for the pageant to stay in Mansfield, but he was hoping he could have swayed the board members into trying a new location.

Kim Kanary, program spokesperson for the pageant issued a press release stating "that remaining in Mansfield would be in the best interest of the program at this time."

Miss Ohio board members could not be reached for comment.

Mansfield community leaders met with the Miss Ohio Scholarship Board of Directors on Wednesday night and went through the board's wish list point by point, Lee Tasseff said.

"We said they were all doable. We did ask them, if they're sticking around, we intend it to be a partnership. They have to commit to helping us and we'll commit to helping them," Tasseff said.

Mansfield's lodging tax contributes $10,000 annually to the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program.

Zwelling was hoping that type of money would be coming from Zanesville in June 2011.

"It would have been a shot in the arm for Zanesville," Zwelling said. "There are 28 contestants and you think that when they came, they would bring families and friends. I had a motel offer to give them 16 rooms for eight days and nights. The winner would have lived here. She could have gone to all the openings in the community and done special events. I'm very disappointed."

Zwelling said he didn't want to release the names of the businesses who offered to help because he didn't want them to be contacted by others looking for money.

"They give a lot to the community and will continue to give, but I don't think it's fair to release their names," Zwellling said. "But I know that the money they said they would give was just a scratch on the surface. We could have gotten a lot more."

Zwelling said he thinks pageant board members made a mistake.

"But, we'll move forward," Zwelling said.

Zanesville Mayor disappointed by Miss Ohio Board decision
Kathy Thompson / Zanesville Times Recorder

November 11, 2010

ZANESVILLE -- Zanesville Mayor Butch Zwelling said he offered The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program almost $400,000 in in-kind and cash over three years to bring the pageant from Mansfield to Zanesville.

"I'm kind of crushed," Zwelling said. "It think if they would have brought the program here, it would have bought in about millions of dollars to the city. I've worked on this project for three years and was really hoping they would bring it here."

Zwelling said he had about 30 private sponsors that would have put up $51,000 in cash for three years.

"I can't really say who they are because I don't want them to get bombarded by others," Zwelling said. "But I will say that ZBus was offering to take the girls around and I had a local motel that was willing to give 16 rooms for eight days and nights." As for in-kind contributions, Zwelling said that would have included police protection and a break on the rental of Secrest Auditorium.

"I don¹t have to go to city council for those things," Zwelling said. "I can offer those without council's approval." Zwelling said had the pageant come to Zanesville in June, the motels and restaurants would have been full.

"There are 28 girls and they would have probably brought their families here," Zwelling said. "While it's not the end of the world, it would have been great."

Pageant Press: Miss Ohio pageant will stay in Mansfield

Miss Ohio pageant will stay in Mansfield

Lou Whitmire / Mansfield News Journal

November 11, 2010

MANSFIELD -- The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program will stay in Mansfield.

Zanesville officials had tried to lure the pageant there, possibly before next year's event in June, but the board decided Wednesday "that remaining in Mansfield would be in the best interest of the program at this time," according to a press release from program spokesperson Kim Kanary.

“Now the hard work of partnering with Miss Ohio to rebuild them, so they become self-sustaining again, needs to begin,” Lee Tasseff, director of the Mansfield-Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said today,

The Miss Ohio board was pondering a departure from Mansfield, where it has been for 36 years, without a written contract from the City of Zanesville, Tasseff said Wednesday.

Tasseff said he asked the board if it had an official commitment from the City of Zanesville and was told it did not. "It has never been brought up to Zanesville council," Tasseff said.

Community leaders met with the Miss Ohio Scholarship Board of Directors on Wednesday night and went through the board's wish list point by point, Tasseff said after the meeting. "We said they were all doable. We did ask them, if they're sticking around, we intend it to be a partnership.

"They have to commit to helping us and we'll commit to helping them."

Tasseff said the board had a lively, hour-long discussion of the matter.

"We asked, they asked," Tasseff said. "It was much more targeted because there was the list in front of us."

Kanary's press release referenced the partnership proposed by Mansfield leaders and acknowledged the "stirred emotions" the proposed move had created. "(W)e believe it ultimately resulted in a stronger partnership with more open and improved lines of communication," Kanary stated.

On Oct. 13, a contingent of community leaders addressed the Miss Ohio board. That group of about 10 people gathered at the Renaissance Theatre on Wednesday night.

Tasseff said he told the board, "We need to make a decision. We think you need to do it now."

In late September, board member Steven Oliveri told Mansfield Mayor Don Culliver the organization needs more financial support from the community.

"The organization has plenty of volunteers. We need people to come see our show, participate in our fundraisers ... if people aren't willing to do straight donations," Oliveri said.

The board has declined to release Zanesville's financial proposal.

The Miss Ohio program operates with expenses between $175,000 and $225,000.

Zanesville Mayor Howard Zwelling said he had been talking to members of the Miss Ohio board for two or three years about the prospect of moving the pageant. "I think Mansfield has done a good job of it and I'd like to have it for my community, too," Zwelling said.

Tasseff said Mansfield has been the single best partner Miss Ohio has ever had. The city's lodging tax contributes $10,000 annually to the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program. Newman Technology Inc. donates $10,000 to the new titleholder each year.

Miss Ohio officials did not return calls seeking comment this morning.

Tasseff was grateful for the efforts of local officials to keep the program here. “It’s been an enthusiastic and very focused group of community leaders. It’s been a true team effort and we will continue that,” he said.

A press conference is set for 11 a.m. today in Zanesville.

Click back or see Friday's print and online versions of the News Journal for more on this story.