Letter: Chamber explains endorsement process

To the community,

When the Tahoe Chamber board decided to do what chambers of commerce all over the U.S. already do – endorse candidates – they did considerable research on the processes in place in other chambers, large and small. The board determined the need for a candidate endorsement committee (CEC) and reached out to the community for volunteers through media and chamber newsletters. [LTN note: Lake Tahoe News, which is not a member of any chamber, was not contacted.]

It was the board’s intent to have an apolitical entity with members from throughout our “One South Shore”. The composition of the candidate endorsement committee was diverse in that it included seven California residents and one Nevada resident ranging in age from 30 to 65, all from small businesses with the exception two who came from educational and religious institutions. Scott Valentine from Lake Tahoe Community College abstained from scoring college board of trustee candidates. The eight individuals who volunteered to serve their community by putting in countless hours of planning and research are greatly appreciated by the board and the membership for their dedication.

The CEC sent an invitation to all candidates inviting them to seek an endorsement. Not all candidates sought an endorsement for a wide variety of personal and professional reasons, which is to be expected. Some candidates were running unopposed, while others may have felt that an endorsement from Tahoe Chamber would not be in alignment with their platforms or interests.

However, all candidates were given an opportunity to complete the CEC’s questionnaire that was based predominately upon the Tahoe Future A South Shore Community Vision 2020 document. This document was adopted by the Tahoe Chamber board of directors in 2013 as a policy statement that guides the organization’s support of initiatives and candidates. Not all candidates chose to complete the questionnaire, although some provided other written materials they thought might be helpful to the CEC.

Whether seeking an endorsement or not all candidates were evaluated and scored as to their alignment with the Tahoe Future document. [LTN note: This is not true. This is from B Gorman to Kenny Curtzwiler: “The CEC apparently did not score you when they scored Sue.”] However, only those seeking an endorsement were eligible. Therefore, the committee considered Wendy David, Brooke Laine, Matt Palacio and Angela Swanson for possible City Council endorsement.

For more details on the process and a copy of the questionnaire, please visit the Endorsements page on Tahoe Chamber’s website.

B Gorman, CEO Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce