Campaign season is in full force, and the negative campaign ads are flying. The US Chamber of Commerce, based out of Washington, DC, is running a series of strongly worded ads aimed at the Senate race in New Hampshire. The Chamber has received several communications from individuals who have taken issue with the ads and confused the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce (your local chamber) with the US Chamber. We are distinct, separate organizations independent of one another. The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is non partisan. We do get involved in public policy issues on a local and state level, but we do not endorse or attack candidates. In the interest of full disclosure, we do pay a nominal annual membership dues to the US Chamber because they are the accrediting body for chambers of commerce in the United States, and we believe in accreditation for chambers as we do for hospitals and schools. It is a worthwhile process that provides comparison benchmarks and ensures best practices. We do not participate in US Chamber political programs. The distinction is an important one, because the Greater Concord Chamber and the US Chamber operate very differently from one another.
