VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer is threatening to pull the plug on next year's Something in the Water (SITW) festival if the organizers don't sign a contract by Friday. The city council directed the city and SITW organizers to enter into a contract for the event after the festival was postponed this October.
Festival organizers had a deadline to sign the contract by November 1, the city says.
However, WTKR learned in a city council meeting Tuesday afternoon that the contract is not signed.
Some city leaders expressed frustration with organizers.
"We are not a toy," council member Amelia Ross Hammond said.
"I am not a happy camper," Mayor Dyer added. "Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. This is what I consider a culture of arrogance and disrespect for this council and the people of Virginia.
Dyer said he was "very angry" and gave the organizers until the end of business on Friday, November 1 to sign the contract.
If the contract isn't signed by then, Mayor Dyer said the city will have a conversation next week about going in a different direction.
Robby Wells, the executive producer for the event ensured Mayor Dyer that organizers of the event, including Virginia Beach's own Pharrell Williams, are not trying to mislead the city, but there are a lot of moving parts.
“Heartbreaking is the word that’s coming to mind. I’m sure there’s a more eloquently way to say it—when the vibe is arrogance because that’s definitely not the intent,” said Wells.
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