It is commonplace for local service organizations take positions on ballot initiatives. In the past the Liberty Chamber of Commerce has taken positions in favor of school bond issues along with city tax initiatives.

It is common for school administrators and city officials to serve on the board of directors of these types of organizations, in some cases in an Ex-Officio capacity. An Ex-Officio member is a member of a body or board who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. Depending on the body, such a member may or may not have the power to vote in the body decisions.

Liberty Forward has obtained an undated letter written by the board of directors of the Liberty Chamber of Commerce expressing confidence in the actions that have been taken presumably by the Liberty School Board.

Liberty Forward does not disagree with many of the points in the letter, however we feel it is important for tax-payers to have full disclosure on the relationship between the Chamber and the School District.

1. The much maligned payment of $37,500 to the Partnership For Economic Growth & Development was funneled through the Chamber Of Commerce. The school district made the check payable to the Chamber Of Commerce and asked them to endorse the check over to the Partnership upon receipt, in which they did.

2. Each year the school district purchases Chamber Dollars to pay out to students who meet Summer School attendance requirements. In essence revenue sharing plans with the students. In 2008, $71,000 was paid out to students who attended Summer School. This arrangement with the Chamber of Commerce has gone on for years.

3. Historically, a school administrator has served on the board of directors of the Liberty Chamber of Commerce. The current website lists Phil Wright as a board member, we doubt that is current and can only guess that his role was assumed by a current administrator.      

It is also important to note that the Chamber Of Commerce has endorsed the City of Liberty's ballot tax initiatives. We are not criticizing their thought process, however if the voters are to rely on this endorsement it is important to note that the Chamber relies on City resources to put on its annual Fall Festival. This festival with a long tradition in Liberty is most likely, one of the Chamber Of Commerce's largest single sources of annual revenue.

In addition, we assume that though the Chamber website lists Cynthia Boecker as a board member, that she has since been replaced by another city official. (Ms. Boecker resigned almost a year ago)

We hope our attempt to fully disclose these relationships is not solely taken as criticism, but sheds new light on the story behind the letters and endorsements from any of these organizations.

As of this article, our email request to the Chamber for a list of updated board members went unanswered. 

To view all of the supporting documents with the Chamber and the School District click on our SUNSHINE DOCUMENTS page and go to the Chamber Letter link.