Solvang began crafting a map for its future marketing efforts to attract tourists, with the City Council agreeing to eventually fill a vacant staff job and to keep its advisory committee somewhat active.

The council on Monday night also voted to hire consultants — Stiletto Marketing to handle public relations and Islett Agency for social media services — for at least the next two months.

However, plans to fill the marketing and events manager job will remain on hold pending the arrival later this month of Solvang’s new city manager, Randy Murphy, whose contract was approved Monday night.

About 40 people applied for the marketing and events manager job, and a panel had been appointed to conduct interviews, according to interim City Manager Brad Vidro. 

In a series of votes after the wide-ranging discussion, council members agreed to keep the staff position created last year to help guide marketing efforts. 

Councilwoman Elizabeth Orona noted that few cities have a marketing manager or similar position, making Solvang unique.

It would be someone who is permanent and invested in the city’s success, and “they can quarterback and organize and oversee” efforts. 

“It’s not shocking we’re not great at this; it’s disappointing, but we need that anchor position in the organization structure,” Orona said. 

But council members suggested that the hiring process for the position should be paused so that the new city manager can be in place. 

Rather than revive the defunct Solvang Conference and Visitors Bureau or establish a new organization, the council also decided to keep the Tourist Advisory Committee. Some council members had called for suspending the TAC or disbanding it.

Council members also said they wanted to hold a public workshop involving the City Council and the TAC with an eye toward the future.

That panel’s purpose and composition also should be reviewed, Councilman David Brown said. 

“I think they went on a lot of chasing rabbit holes, if you will,” Brown said. 

The city’s Municipal Code calls for members to represent a cross section of the community as it relates to tourism. Recognizing that several business owners live outside Solvang, the council previously opened membership to those living in five ZIP codes to incorporate the wider Santa  Ynez Valley. 

Some TAC members recently raised the ire of others on the panel and in the city by questioning whether the marketing contractor had fulfilled its duties and if the firm received payment for services it didn’t fully deliver.

Vidro said it appeared some services weren’t provided as required, leading Orona to push for an assessment of The Abbi Agency’s performance and payments. 

“The city has fumbled this … ,” she said. “I think there are many people who suspect Abbi did not deliver or perform, but we do not have the details to confirm that.”

Complicating matters, the TAC leader, Vashti Wilson, abruptly left in the middle of last Thursday’s meeting, raising questions about whether she resigned from the position. She had not submitted a resignation letter as of Monday night, city staff said.

A tug-of-war also has ensued about access to the SolvangUSA Facebook page, which has been the center of a months-long dispute.

Access was passed from a former SCVB employee to Wilson as the TAC chair in recent weeks after the former marketing contractor launched a new page intending to scrap the one with 34,000 followers.

The access to the SolvangUSA page was later passed to the mayor, city manager and city attorney before being revoked.

“I did want to bring to the council’s attention that sometime in the last week or so, Mayor Infanti, Mr. Vidro and I were all removed from the city’s Facebook page. I’m not sure why,” City Attorney Dave Fleishman said, adding that he attempted to contact Wilson to find out what’s going on but had not received a call back. 

In other business Monday, the council introduced the incoming city manager. Murphy is expected to begin his job in Solvang on April 26.

Murphy most recently worked as the general manager of the Hidden Valley Lake Association. He has 30 years of management experience with 20 years in the public sector.