The Lima Chamber of Doing the Bidding of Government, er, uh, I guess it is supposed to be Commerce
November 4th, 2009, 12:45 am · 15 Comments · posted by rlederman
It didn’t get a lot of attention when it happened, largely because the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce didn’t do a lot to publicize the vote, but the one entity in Allen County whose mission it is to promote business interests actually came out against repealing the sales tax increase.
Odd, considering what effect a sales tax increase typically has on consumers’ ability to spend. Odder still, considering what reaction state and national chambers and other such groups have to proposed sales tax hikes. How is that Allen County businesses can be so immune to consumers have less money to spend at the businesses?
Fortunately for Allen County business, shoppers and the overall economy, The Lima News still has greater sway than the Lima chamber. Consistency helps. The Lima News supported repeal of the Bassitt-Reiff half-percentage point sales tax, and voters shot it down 55-45.
If the Lima chamber were an actual business interest organization, this would be hard to figure. But, sadly, it’s run like a nonprofit that needs to rely on government for its very existence. Big surprise once you look at its board of directors. On it we have two men whose acknowledged interests relied heavily on the sales tax staying in place: Jay Begg with the Allen County Fairgrounds and Tim DeHaven, who acted as spokesman for the group fighting to keep the sales tax.
Then, we see that a local Realtor, Tim Stanford, who tried to get business helping the county with its properties, is on the chamber board. And, Judy Cowan, who spent a number of years in government? Also on the chamber board. Chris Seddelmeyer, a Shawnee Township trustee? Also on the board. So much for this being a business interest group.
So we know chamber president Jed Metzger had no control over the election forums his organization put on, allowing a city councilman suing one participation and endorsing another, to sponsor one forum, and having an avid supporter and person who owed her job to Mayor David Berger, Judy Cowan, to sit on the panel questioning the mayor and challenger Dan Beck. (For the record, I also was on that panel.) But, really, Jed? Your board has three people with an active interest in the county getting the sales tax, and your press release mentioning the vote on the referendum leaves that out?
Since the chamber is having trouble promoting business interests, let me help. Several such statewide organizations praised Gov. Ted Strickland for suggesting Ohio freeze the income tax reduction rather than bump up the state sales tax, since that latter tax increase would take money that otherwise likely would go to businesses, then to workers, and so on, as opposed to getting wasted by government. Yet the local equivalent of a chamber can’t figure that out? Of course not. Look who voted on this issues. Those who would benefit from it.
Business owners in Allen County ought to rethink whether they have a voice for their interests in the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce.
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hate to say it ron but i am becoming a fan…
Ron, great observation. Now someone has to figure out why Reiff and Basset have been totally AWOL. It was their proposed tax increase. Not only did they make virtually no argument for it when they voted for it, they did not even attempt to defend it.
Spartan, They didn’t get the e-mail telling them what to say.
Can’t help but wonder what Chairman Keith Chaney is feeling today. After two good republicans (Deipenbrock and Versnick ) spearheaded the repeal of the tax put into place by supposed Republicans, and significantly both Chaney appointments to the Board of Commissioners. Mixed emotions I suppose, like Barck Obama driving off a cliff, in my new Maserati.
Ron This is concise to the point and accurate. I hope it makes the paper so more people read it!!
Spartan, great question. I wonder if they went AWOL to try to head off what Boomer raises: Republicans decided to reclaim the fiscal conservative label this election.
It was pretty funny watching MSNBC the last couple days, as their talking heads were fretting over Republicans kicking moderates out of the party. Typical MSNBC fare, Republicans are wrong, no matter what, exact opposite of what Fox does, but some of us with no cable TV show have been saying for a long time that Republicans needed to drop the socially conservative crap and focus on fiscal issues.
Boomer, I doubt if Cheney is overly worried. Republicans win in general elections here. He probably is hoping for a qualified Republican to step up and unseat one of the two commissioners in a primary, but the GOP is likely to win the general election again.
Unless, and here is a prediction I’m passing on, even if I would like to claim it as my own, Beck will be back in 2012 to take on one of the two, should either run again. He won’t run against Sneary next year, but he’ll be back. You know what would be funny, and I’m way off track here, but oh well, if Sneary and Beck were commissioners together. Guess ex-Sheriff Dan would control the sheriff’s office in a way the three current commissioners never had the nerve to do themselves.
Boomer and Sun, thanks. Not sure it’s going to make the paper, but that’s my call, not the paper holding it back.
hope you publish it Ron. You are spot on with this one.
i think you should ron…its the truth…and we could use a large dose of that in lima…
I am a new member of the chamber, so I am not familiar with how things run there, but I smelled a rat when I received notice that the Chamber membership, having been surveyed, determined by a 70% majority that the Chamber should take a public position on the referendum (that part didn’t surprise me). The update went on to say that although the membership was split on the issue, the “majority” of chamber members were opposed to the repeal of the increase (in other words the majority of the chamber members who responded to the survey were in support of the NO vote). I find it hard to believe that a majority of business owners would be in favor of a NO vote, especially since the measure went down to a resounding defeat at the polls. One would think the chamber membership would be more fiscally conservative than the public at large. To be clear: I have no evidence that there wasn’t a majority in favor of a NO vote, but the revelation that Mr. DeHaven and Mr. Begg are on the board certainly gives the wrong appearance, especially coupled with the vague reference to the results of the chamber membership polling.
Mike I think they meant to say a majority of the board. We have been solicited for three of our business entities to join the chamber, but we are going to respectfully decline that invitation unless and until a board that actually represents the members is put in place.
Ron,
So if the Chamber in Findlay (Hancock County) supported THREE tax increases are they also in the tank for the goverment and oh yeah none of my family is on the chamber board in Findlay. Why go after my father. Also when you raise your ad rates should I then quit advertising? Just wondering.
Also does that mean the Findlay Courier specifically Carl Hemminger the Publisher of the Paper and Mr.Mattice the Editor of the Paper are carrying the water for the Government. And don’t forget all the people who voted for the three tax increases are they also carrying the water for governement. Get real I’m sick and tired of you ripping on my family. We did nothing but try to help and the lies and crap that have been allowed to be thrown out about my family have got to stop.
So just mentioning your father’s name is “going after him,” John? I wrote this about your father: “Tim DeHaven, who acted as spokesman for the group fighting to keep the sales tax.”
OMG!!! What an insult!!!!!
I understand why a businessman wouldn’t want to be associated with a tax increase, but what I wrote is based on what your father wrote, that he was the spokesman for the group.
Yes, I would say the Courier was carrying water for the local government. If the Courtier had a front-page editorial against the tax and ran three front-page stories about why it is a bad idea, instead of sucking up to the local power establishment as it did, would you think that was a good job of reporting both sides, John? Probably not. You’d be complaining the other side — your side — was ignored. You might not like our take on it, but we kept our opinions on the opinion page and on our blogs.
I don’t know the makeup of the Findlay chamber board. I know the Lima chamber neglected to mention that your dad and Jay Begg, who both advocated for the tax, had a say in the chamber vote. I also know that the other three people mentioned have more of a hand in government than the chamber let on, seeing that the chamber didn’t even mention it.
I also don’t live in or focus on Findlay in my writing, John. I live in and focus on Lima. As for Findlay, however, even your father says that that community needed the money more than Allen County did. Can you or your father explain what cuts are coming to safety services now that the tax has been repealed, John? Probably not, because no one has demonstrated what cuts will come.
Perhaps when you can make a point or ask an actual question that is based in fact, we’ll be able to discuss this, John. However, don’t come whining that people are criticizing your father for his position. Duh. That happens when you take a position on public issues. No one cares what you are sick of, John. That was something for dad to think about before he came out in favor of a tax increase.
Well John you are “sick of” of the “ripping” on your family. I am sick of self serving business owners screaming that they are not “politicians” then certainly acting like one. When you have a business that purports to serve all the citizens of the community you probably should expect that some folks who disagree with you will exercise their free speech right to say so. Your dad has the right to back more “redistribution of the wealth” to his hearts content. We who happen to think he’s lost his mind, also have the right to express our opinions, both with our comments and our wallets.