[Vision2020] City of Moscow Gives Moscow Chamber of Commerce $10, 000

[Melynda Huskey]

Dear John,

Thanks for the information about the Chamber's request.  It seems that some 
of the confusion I have about the funding stems from my confusion about what 
the Chamber is, or does. I thought it was a non-profit association which 
promoted local businesses, and which generated its own funds to do so.  I 
assumed it was accountable to its members, not to any outside agency.

But if we've got some kind of agreement or contract with the Chamber to 
provide Visitor Center and "information clearinghouse" services for the 
City, that's obviously a different kettle of fish . . . and surely the City 
provides some level of oversight or management for those services.  I'd be 
interested in knowing more about that relationship, and about the Chamber's 
accountability to the City, and to taxpayers, for services provided.

I'm very troubled that the Chamber has failed to establish an 
equal-opportunity and non-discrimination policy.  As others have pointed 
out, there's nothing very complicated or time-consuming about creating such 
a policy; it was mentioned by the auditors as a step the Chamber needed to 
take; and given concerns expressed in the past about patterns of religious 
discrimination in hiring and contracting at the Chamber, it would have been 
a good-faith step on the part of Chamber leadership.  Apparently they didn't 
feel that it was a priority.  That disturbs me a great deal.

Melynda Huskey