Will the Last Local Chamber Standing Please Turn Out the Lights? Exodus Continues.

In what is becoming a sort of “will the last local Chamber standing please turn out the lights?” situation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s partisan political activity has caused even more local chambers of commerce to distance themselves. 

You may remember, recently, when the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce in New Hampshire and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in North Carolina distanced themselves, or when two members left the board of the California Chamber of Commerce.  In the last 48 hours alone, chambers from Kansas, Maine and Wisconsin have taken pains to say, “We’re NOT the U.S. Chamber.”

In Kansas City: “The Greater Kansas City Chamber isn’t affiliated with the U.S. Chamber…it’s not us.”

In a note to the Kansas City Star, Jim Hector, the president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce wrote the following:

"We've gotten a lot of questions and we appreciate the concern (and the jokes), but it's the U.S. Chamber that is facing allegations of using foreign money in campaign contributions, not the Greater Kansas City Chamber. There's a difference...The U.S Chamber, the Greater Kansas City Chamber, and local chambers are all separate organizations with their own boards, bylaws, and public policy positions. The Greater Kansas City Chamber isn't affiliated with the U.S. Chamber. Our focus is on civic progress for our two-state region. We do sincerely thank you for your concern - but it's not us."

In Maine: “We don’t take positions on national issues.”

In Maine, the directors of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, and the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce told the Free Press that they were not members of the U.S. Chamber.  Dan Bookham, the executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce said, “Our position is that we don't take positions on national issues. It's a matter of practicality.  We have a diverse membership of 600 people, from tea-partiers to Marxists. It would just cause disruptions and arguments in the business community.”

Even local chambers that are members of the national organization have distanced themselves from the Chamber’s political activity.  Jaimie Logan, the executive director of the Boothbay Harbor Chamber of Commerce, which pays $300 a year in membership dues to the U.S. Chamber, said, "We don't endorse candidates or advocate for referendums. We provide information to our members, pro and con, and then they decide.  The U.S. Chamber provides business information tools that are useful, but we don't take a political stance."

In Madison, Wisconsin: “We’re not here to fight their battles.”

And in Madison, Wisconsin, Delores Newton, executive vice president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, explained that while her chamber is a member of the U.S. Chamber – paying about $700 in dues – “‘Absolutely no penny is spent on politics,’ says Newton, adding that the local chamber doesn't vote on the parent group's positions. ‘We do not have a PAC. It would be illegal to spend member dues for or against a candidate. So we do not do that…We’re not here to fight their battles.’”