Prior to the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce rewriting their contract with the city, which was then approved (3-2), it was rumored that the Chamber was not manning the visitor center. TCN then reported, "According to city officials, the chamber violated the contract in several ways without giving notice to the council."
Recently, talk of multiple resignations on their Board of Directors has widened. It wasn't long ago that Gary Tucker resigned as the CEO of the Chamber. He had these parting words:
I do not have confidence in the current Executive Committee and it's newly appointed Treasurer to guide the Chamber through these challenging times. I am concerned with the Executive Committee's refusal to follow the By-Laws that govern the operation of our organization. Continued failure to do so could lead to the loss of our 501 ( c ) ( 6) IRS Non Profit status. After attempting for the past six months to impress upon the Executive Committee the seriousness of the declining Revenue from Renewing Members, Sponsors, and Events, I have seen no plan or any significant efforts to address this crucial matter.
Total Expenses were below Budget for 2007 and 2008. Labor and Operating Expenses have been reduced to the lowest possible level without sacrificing the quality of our Chamber and Visitor Center Operations. The last major Expense to be addressed is Rent, which can be reduced only by renegotiating the current lease or by moving to a more affordable location.
A couple days ago this email was sent to the city and city council. It has been circulating since then:
Letter to City Council from Keith Shillington:
Date: May 27, 2009 3:41:29 PM PDT
Subject: Visitors Center; Chamber of Commerce
Dear Madam Mayor, Councilpersons,
I had planned to join you this evening to make a public comment, and was just reminded of a previous engagement to attend live theatre. (Not that City Council meetings don't qualify as live theatre...)
Of note, on behalf of the people of the City of Encinitas, I wanted to advise that the City would be served by requesting a detailed accounting from the Chamber of Commerce to ensure that Visitor Center funds are being correctly appropriated to the assigned contractual tasks.
This morning I resigned my seat on the Chambers Board of Directors for a combination of reasons, many personal associated with the shocking loss we all suffered on Valentines day.
I don't [emphasis added] believe there to be any malfeasance or fiscal misappropriation, I do believe there to be some rather serious lacks of prudence and recordkeeping. The visitors center is important to
the business community of Encinitas, and needs to operate on a regular schedule with an informed staff. I truely hope that we, as a city, are able to accomplish this small feat.
If there is a mechanism to put words into the public comment without being physically present, here are the words I would ask to so be put:
--------quote
Good eveing Madam Mayor, Councilpersons,
On behalf of the people of the City of Encinitas, I advise that the City would be served by requesting a detailed accounting from the Chamber of Commerce to ensure that Visitor Center funds are being correctly appropriated to the assigned contractual tasks. I do not believe there to be any malfeasance or fiscal misappropriation, I do believe there to be some rather serious lacks of prudence and recordkeeping. The visitors center is important to the business community of Encinitas, and needs to operate on a regular schedule with an informed staff. I truely hope that we, as a city, are able to accomplish this small feat.
Thank you, and good evening.
--------endquote
There is a lot of maneuvering happening at the Chamber and motivations are cloudy. Given that taxpayer dollars are involved, I'd like to see the Chamber and the City address this issue. If the issue is substantiated, we should identify who is actually responsible and not let the wrong people be thrown under the bus.
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