Another op-ed about the most boring issue Encinitas has ever faced, the Chamber of Commerce drama.
nctimes.com: BATRA: Reps not doing the right thing
What's even more puzzling is Maggie Houlihan, who requested an independent third party audit from the chamber, chose to pay them even though they failed to provide the required audit, and maintain a commercial insurance policy indemnifying the city, as required by their contract. What compelled her to continue paying a vendor that failed to meet basic obligations it was contracted to meet?
See also Leucadia Blog: Kydd Wants Bailout for Encinitas Chamber of Commerce
Read past blog post about the chamber, click here
Stop trying to figure out Maggie. You can't do it. Maggie is all about personal petty squabbles and is not about the public good. On the flip side, it is curious that David Meyer of the Ecke Family and financier of smear campaigns against maggie is quoted in the editorial.
ReplyDeleteMaggie Houlihan???-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHAAAAAAHHAHAHHAHAHHHhahhahahahahahahahahahaha. what a joke!!
ReplyDeleteMaggie vs Meyer idiot vs idiot
ReplyDeleteMike Andreen and Gary Tucker are evil geniuses – they have almost succeeded in confusing the public about who screwed up the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce. It was CEO Gary Tucker and Mike Andreen, not the current CEO. Now Gary, Mike, (and now David Meyer) are trying to point fingers and call for an audit of the Chamber to confuse people. Heaven forbid if someone really digs into past accounting practices – Gary and Mike are going to have a lot of “splaining” to do! I have heard all sorts of horror stories about how they paid the bills, especially at the end of their “reign”.
ReplyDeleteHaving two Chambers is fine, although it is my firm belief that this City cannot support two Chambers, and that Mike’s “new” Chamber will not make it. I am having a hard time believing that Mike has the financial power to stay in business while he builds membership, especially in this slow economy. Is someone acting as his “sugar daddy”?
And by the way, Mike’s “new” Chamber is not a non-profit organization. He tries to spin it that it a good thing, but personally, I think it is a little weird. I wonder how many other Chambers around the nation are for-profit?
Don’t be fooled – the Encinitas Chamber was mostly screwed up by Gary and Mike. Thankfully, they are gone. Let the best Chamber win – the one that is honest, and transparent.
When David Meyers, Jerome Stocks and Mike Andreen are working together, you know devils work is in progress.
ReplyDeleteto anon 813,
ReplyDeleteI have corresponded with the new Chamber CEO. He is not going to be more transparent than Gary, in regards to opening their books to the public, so what do you mean by being more transparent?
By a vote of 3-2 the council decided to not do an independent study of the chamber's finances. The report that is out there now is the chamber's own report that blames former staff for the problems. Assuming it all 100% true, there is the big issue in how those guys were allowed do all that bad stuff. Where was the chamber board and where was the city oversight?
Dalager openly admitted that he knew something was up at the visitor center. What did he do about it?
It is curious that the Encinitas Taxpayers Association and Andreen called for an independent study of what happened. Barth was the only council member to push hard for an independent study. For people that want to stick it to Andreen and Gary, isn't that what should have been done?
Mike Andreen??-HHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHhaHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah, oh that's rich,rich!!
ReplyDeleteAndreen and Tucker have successfully muddied the waters. They really don't want an independent audit, and worked the council so they wouldn't get one. It is better for their reputations to call the report a pack of lies, threaten to sue, and call for an independent audit...all the while knowing they have the council in their back pockets. What do we need a visitor's center for anyway? Isn't the City's website informational enough for recreation ideas? Doesn't the Chamber's website have enough information for visitors to steer them to patronize the card holding members' establishments? Get rid of the visitor's center and the drain on our tax dollar. Put that money into fixing our roads and installing traffic calming.
ReplyDeletePart of the problem is that Gary (and Mike) never gave routine, accurate financial reports to the Chamber board. Shame on the Board for not being more insistent, but it is hard to identify problems without data.
ReplyDeleteAnon12:21- Some board members quit because of the lack of financial review. Don't blame all board members. This thing is a multi- headed dragon.
ReplyDeleteKeep digging!!
"They really don't want an independent audit, and worked the council so they wouldn't get one."
ReplyDeletePerhaps you are correct. On the hand it is only fair that gary and mike's challenges to the Chamber's report be addressed. If you think they are lies you should welcome the opportunity they had offered.
I'm actually troubled that the strongest response has been anon posters wanting to censor mike and gary. Why are people scared to hear what they have to say?
There are only three folks who we can be sure don't want an independent audit. Houlihan, Bond, and Dalager. They shot down Barth's efforts and, as she described it, swept the whole thing under the rug.
Again to anon, how exactly is the chamber more transparent to the taxpayer now?
Kevin C- follow the $$$
ReplyDeleteAs much as I think that the Chamber under Gary Tucker was mis-managed, I don't want to spend $50,000 to find out.
ReplyDeleteDo you really think the current CEO is mismananging funds? That is just a smoke screen to try to kill the original Chamber so the new "Chamber" can swoop in and take over.
Let's move on - this is exhausting, but please don't let Gary and Mike win - they really need to move to Vista and take over that Chamber.
If you don't finish the "game", you should not expect to "win".
ReplyDeleteIt looks to me like there is currently no independent audit to "follow the money". If you don't want to spend the money to find out that is fine, but then you shouldn't deny someone their opportunity to protest the charges made against them just because it is too tiring to respond or to keep up the investigation.
Regarding the new CEO, the issue is not whether or not I think the new CEO is mismanaging funds. The point is whether or not the chamber is now more transparent to the taxpayer. Anon claimed that to be the case. Is it?
There you go again. Planting the seed that the new CEO may be mismanaging funds.
ReplyDeleteMore Andreentactics from Kevin.
Andreen tactics are to avoid answering the question and cast aspersions by responding with personal attacks.
ReplyDeleteAnybody notice that Andreen didn't go away and he came back more powerful than before?
ReplyDelete"Anybody notice that Andreen didn't go away and he came back more powerful than before?"
ReplyDeleteHaaaa- if you consider being Jeromes flunky and enjoy having an elf like Gary sit on your lap Powerful.
Classicly funny comment.
The chamber will continue its dark evil financial schemes...nothing has changed. Houlihan is a bunch of hot air. She rode her broomstick up the chamber's ass and created a cauldron of turmoil over finances, and then when the time came to follow through she whinged. What a whanker.
ReplyDeleteHence the need for term limits. there are plenty of good and way more intelligent Encinitians that will donate their time to save our beautiful town. talk to your neighbors and let them know whats happening in our town.
ReplyDeleteVote them out and lets get some fresh blood.