What is the Chamber?

NOTE: This is an incomplete entry, which I hope to finish soon. (I am a bit amused that this happens to be the 666th entry.)

There's talk of cutting the amount of money the Tulsa Metro Chamber gets from the City of Tulsa's hotel-motel tax, and increasing the scrutiny over how that money is spent. The Chamber has an annually-renewed contract with the City of Tulsa for promoting Tulsa as a tourism and convention destination and doing economic development work. For this work they receive just shy of 40% of the City's 5% hotel-motel tax, which amounts to $1.7 million this year.

Wednesday on DelGiorno's show, Mayor LaFortune responded to the proposals to cut the Chamber's take by defending the Chamber. He said that the Chamber has 2800 members and consists of most of Tulsa's business community. He went on to say that the City should help the Chamber, because the Chamber helps the City by promoting bond issues, the third-penny sales tax renewals, and other public funding initiatives.

But if the Chamber is merely the voice of Tulsa's business community, why are so many Tulsans from across the political spectrum disdainful or hostile to the Chamber as an institution?

Watch this space for answers....