The Spy “Exit Interview” series is part journalism and part oral history. Over the last eleven years, we have interviewed dozens of local leaders at the moment of their departure to reflect on their work and some of the challenges they faced in their professional careers and the nonprofit organizations they have helped lead.
In this installment, Ross Benincasa has been asked to provide some perspective as he completes four years as director of Discover Easton and its partner organization, the Easton Business Alliance.
For Ross, the last four years have seen some great success in having the world “Discover” Easton. He has also overseen many experiments to help achieve that goal. And in his interview with the Spy, he outlines his observations on what works in attracting visitors from Washington or Baltimore.
Ross also talks candidly about the Easton Promenade concept that was embraced but then was quickly discarded by the Town of Easton Council early last summer. The promenade idea was to promote outdoor dining by closing off Washington Avenue in the historic downtown to encourage more customers. Unfortunately for many, there was major pushback from other downtown stakeholders, and the town council reversed their decision within a week.
Benincasa is the first to admit the project was fast-tracked in the attempt to help local restaurants. He also acknowledges that this kind of quick change is hard to implement. Still, it remains confusing and disappointing to him that the promenade conflict has led to the end of his organization and its mission by Easton’s mayor to merge Discover Easton into one budget center with the Easton Economic Development Corporation.
This video is approximately ten minutes in length.
Hugh (Jock) Beebe says
To the editor:
A suggestion.
As I read and listened to the piece in today’s Talbot Spy on Discover Easton, a suggestion came into my mind. Maybe it was what young Ross Benincasa’s comments conveyed or something else, but I have the impression there’s more to this story than public media provide. The recent scuttling of a proposed additional big box home improvement company by tabling it until the Planning Commission’s next revision is available two years hence seems like an obvious political arabesque.
So, a quick note to suggest that Talbot Spy produce some in depth follow up with a diverse group of local people, responding with a big picture and long range perspective, on the question: What is today the future growth policy of the Town of Easton?
The internal decision to combine Easton’s “development” entities into one unit seems to hint at possible conflict among those in Town and County governance and resident citizens, and might be heightened by the recent real estate boom hereabouts.
Sandy Kaufman says
Easton and surrounding area residents, including its business communities, are among the most generous and thoughtful supporters I have had the pleasure of living among. The proliferation of successful charities in the area supports this point. As someone who has served as a volunteer working on projects that required approvals and reviews before moving forward, I’ve learned that there are good reasons for those deliberative steps, even when they feel cumbersome at the time. Community and business partnerships are essential to forging solutions that work for the benefit of all.