Did Blaming TAC for Franke’s Exit Trigger the TAC Commissioner Resignations?

This is the second of a three-part series on the resignation of four of the five Tourism Advisory Commission members. Last week, we shared their thoughts on why they resigned from the Commission. We also asked whether there might be more to the story than meets the eye. Today, we take a look at that story.

May: Town’s Destination Marketing Manager leaves position for many reasons
The Town of Oro Valley hired Crystal Franke as its Destination Marketing Manager in August 2024.  A year and nine months later, in May 2026, Franke resigned.  LOVE reported at that time that she had taken a position with PlacerAI. It is the private-sector company that provides destination marketing event measurement results to municipal clients. Oro Valley is one of those.

Franke told LOVE that there were multiple reasons she left Oro Valley to join PlacerAI:  

“… my decision to leave the Town was multifaceted. Ultimately, I was presented with a professional opportunity that closely aligned with my previous experience in tech and the private sector. I am grateful for my time with the Town of Oro Valley and proud of the work we accomplished to advance the Town’s tourism efforts.” (Franke text message to LOVE on August 11, 2026)

May: Wilkins blames TAC for Franke’s departure
The Town, however, has a different view. Town Manager Jeff Wilkins announced to the Town Council in May that Franke left because TAC member behavior “directly contributed” to her decision to leave.

“I am disappointed to receive the resignation of Crystal Franke our Destination Marketing Manager. Moreover, I am discouraged that the action and comments of our Tourism Advisory Commission (TAC) members directly contributed to her decision. As you may know, TAC members' lack of decorum has made staff uncomfortable during and outside of TAC meetings. In fact, one TAC member apologized to staff for the actions of other TAC members. Further, several TAC members have strongly advocated the Town reallocate tourism funding to facilitate a return to Visit Tucson for group book services creating further uncertainty regarding our DMO's future to build the Town's brand and promote leisure travel’ (Source: Wilkins email to council of May 5, 2026)

Later, in a message regarding cancellation of an upcoming TAC meeting, Wilkins said: 

“It is not surprising this environment made Crystal uncomfortable and uncertain about her future opportunities with the Town, leading her to look at opportunities outside of our organization. I have previously emphasized the importance of decorum from the dais. This is a prime example of cause and effect.” (Source: Wilkins email to Murphy, June 2, 2026)

June: Winfield calls unusual meeting with Commission Chair
Apparently, Mayor Winfield agreed. In early June, Mayor Winfield met virtually with Tony D’Angelo, chair of the Tourism Advisory Commission. Also present were Town Attorney Steve Zraich and Town Manager Wilkins. The stated purpose was to discuss the conduct of the Tourism Advisory Commission.

The meeting was unprecedented in that the Mayor took it upon himself to have this discussion without the knowledge or approval of the Town Council or the involvement of TAC Council liaison, Mary Murphy. In fact, Murphy found out about the meeting after it had taken place. Apparently, the Town Attorney felt it was all right for Winfield to do this on his own, without involving the liaison, and to become involved in a personnel matter.

D’Angelo had agreed to attend the June 9 Zoom meeting. We asked him why. He said he felt compelled to honor what appeared to him to be a mandate by the Mayor: “Mayor Winfield has requested a 30-minute virtual meeting between Steven, Jeff and himself in regards to Tourism Advisory Commission conduct. (Sorois email to D’Angelo, June 4, 2026)

At the meeting, Mayor Winfield reportedly told D’Angelo that, as Chair, it was his responsibility to ensure Commission members treated staff with respect and that he, as Chair, was responsible for controlling the dialogue. Winfield also raised the exit interview of former Destination Marketing Manager Crystal Franke and reportedly suggested that comments by Commission members had placed her job in jeopardy and were a major reason she left her employment with the Town. D'Angelo think that the Mayor told him that he had learned this from Franks' exit interview.

D’Angelo described the meeting in his resignation notice: 

“I was called on the carpet by the Mayor, Town Manager and Town Attorney for creating a tone within the Commission meetings that led to the resignation of the Destination Marketing Manager. It was communicated that our challenges to decision making by staff made the Destination Marketing Manager feel her job was threatened.”

A reasonable question is whether the accusations leveled by the Mayor and the Town Manager ring true.

Unclear what role Commission “behavior” played in Franke’s resignation

Franke will neither confirm nor deny the Town’s assertion. “I would prefer not to engage in the current discussion surrounding TAC.” D’Angelo believes the accusations are false. He reviewed past meeting videos and could not find evidence of disrespect toward Franke, adding that commissioners had instead complimented her work. Former Commissioner Case noted: "The fact that chairman D’Angelo was called in to be reprimanded by our mayor and town manager over this untruth is deeply disturbing to me.” Obviously, Winfield and Wilkins believe otherwise.

August: Four commissioners resign
Did this June meeting with D’Angelo precipitate the four resignations? D’Angelo and Case specifically cited the Town’s blaming of TAC for Franke’s departure as contributing to their decisions to resign. Chris DeSimone did not specifically cite the Franke matter in his own letter. He said he was not going to repeat the reasons given by D’Angelo and Case. Van Buren did not mention it. Regardless, it was not the only reason they resigned. It just added weight to their decision. D’Angelo told us that some were already unhappy with the role of the Commission and their lack of meaningful input. Add to all of this the fact that this is an unpaid volunteer position. Frankly, given all this, why suffer the aggravation?

Tomorrow: “There's More Than Enough Blame To Go Around”