PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: Abraham Lincoln once quipped, “The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheeps for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.”

I think what Abe was trying to say is that everyday folks view the same situation from different viewpoints.

This is certainly the case with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber concerning recent political ads. Specifically speaking, their negative ad against Maine’s former Gov. Angus King.

As president of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber, I want to assure you that we do not in any way support or condone this negative ad. While it is the U.S. Chamber’s right to support any candidate they wish, I personally am disappointed that the U.S. Chamber feels the need to use negative attack ads to influence an election that should be decided by the Maine people.

As a regional chamber of commerce, the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber does not support one candidate over another. Don Spann, chairman for the chamber’s board of directors, states our policy very succinctly. “Consistent with our members’ desires, our chamber does not endorse candidates for either the local, state, or federal level. We have and will continue to provide forums for our members and the community to meet with the candidates in order for the voters to form their own personal opinion as to whom will represent their interests the best.”

Some folks assume that all chambers of commerce are affiliated with each other. That is not actually the case. In general, chambers of commerce are formed at the local or regional levels, state level, and national level. While we all share a similar name and support businesses, each organization is separate and distinct from each other.

Chambers are considered to be local if they support one town or several small municipalities; we are considered regional if we cover a large population base and/or multiple counties. Each local and regional chamber is its own 501 (c) 6 business association, has its own by-laws, and its membership dictates what programs, services and level of political involvement it has. No state or federal entity speaks for local or regional chambers; only their members can do that.

State chambers, such as our Maine State Chamber, serve a different role. They look at a much broader economic and legislative picture than local/regional chambers. They work hard to educate citizens and business owners on the effects of legislation and have a dedicated lobby in Augusta.

In addition, they work just as hard to improve educational opportunities for K-12 students, increase economic opportunities for small businesses, support alliance programs that offer affordable health care to chamber members, and provide the Legislature and governor with recommendations on how to proactively move Maine forward.

I think we are fortunate to have a lot of good, hard-working chamber directors in the state of Maine, including the Maine State Chamber. I hope as you read this column you will realize that the U.S. Chamber’s choice of running negative ads is not condoned by most of Maine’s chambers of commerce; it is most certainly not supported by the board of directors and myself at the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber.

If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns about the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber’s involvement in political lobbying or issues, feel free to send them directly to me, Steve Wallace, at president@midcoastmaine.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Are you looking for your business to perform at a higher level? Then schedule a free “Individual Business Coaching Session” with Bob Bremm, of AdviCoach, on Aug. 14. Sessions are one hour. Bob brings more than 25 years of business experience. To schedule, contact Bob by email: rbremm@advicoach.com.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS: SMMC welcomes the Early Childhood Advisory Council (Bath), Comfort Keepers (Topsham), and Jules and Company (Dresden) to its membership. To discover more about each of these businesses, go to www.midcoastmaine.com.

The chamber serves 660 businesses and organizations in these communities: Arrowsic, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Brunswick, Dresden, Edgecomb, Georgetown, Harpswell, Phippsburg, Richmond, Topsham, West Bath, Westport Island, Wiscasset and Woolwich.