By Brian Wright | Maricopa Monitor
MARICOPA — At a city council budget retreat last week, Maricopa Chamber of Commerce executives told the council their organization is back on track.
Last March, the council made a major statement by voting to pull its annual $40,000 public service agreement funding to the chamber. That vote went into effect June 30, 2013.
Numerous leadership changes and general dysfunction since the departure of chamber President Terri Kingery at the end of 2010 led the council to cut its funding to the chamber, although it retained a low-level membership in the organization.
Chamber board Chairman Mike Richey told the council he wasn’t at the meeting to ask for any more funding, but he did request the council upgrade its membership from “copper” ($500 per year) to “platinum” ($5,000) status.
Richey said the hiring of chamber President and CEO Dave Moss last May was the first step in repairing the chamber’s image.
“Dave was to be our change agent, and that has occurred,” he said.
Moss was hired, in part, because he presided over a successful run with the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce. At the same time he was hired, the chamber also named Marla Lewis its chief operating officer.
“We’ve had a great 10 months at the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce, with many initiatives (implemented), most of those based on the matrix that Dave has brought to us,” Richey said.
He said that matrix “refocuses the entire intent and direction” of the chamber.
Lewis added the chamber is now fully funded through membership dues,
sponsorships and donations. She also said reducing the size of its office space has saved the chamber $10,000.
At the city council meeting last March, then-City Manager Brenda Fischer said she had received numerous calls from residents who were upset with the chamber and asked why the city was still funding that organization.
Mayor Christian Price said the city had shelled out $40,000 a year to the chamber for seven years without much to show for it.
“I sat up here a year ago, and I championed this chamber wholeheartedly,” he said. “And I stuck my neck out because I believe this is a good thing, but I gotta tell you, some things have happened along the way,” Price said at that same March 2013 meeting.
Price spoke of an eye-opening experience when he met an elected official and the first thing the person said to Price was, “What the hell is wrong with your chamber?”
Last Thursday, Richie said losing the $40,000 from the city was “one of the best things that ever could have happened to us.”
“We’re not here to look for another handout from the city,” he said.
Councilman Marvin Brown applauded the chamber’s effort to stand on its own two feet. “I’d like to congratulate you and the other (chamber) members (for being able to) extricate yourself from our support,” he said.
Richey said the chamber replaced that $40,000 and “covered some operating shortfalls” by restructuring its membership fees. He gave much credit
to the chamber’s “platinum” members and said those businesses have made that financial commitment because they want to be community leaders.
The platinum membership was a new idea, and businesses that pledged the $5,000 include Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort, Orbitel Communications, Wells Fargo, Dignity Health and Richey’s own Ace Hardware.
Council members didn’t make any statements on whether they wanted to upgrade the membership to platinum, but City Manager Gregory Rose said one of the issues the council will face next year is the uncertainty of the economy. That could make the council hesitant to spend an extra $4,500 on its chamber membership
