Chamber chairman never gets his chair

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce had barely elevated a Sarasota County employee to be its next chairman when word spread that a government worker would head the county's premier business group and the chamber backed down.

Chamber officials cited internal worries that the perception of mixing government with business could prove troublesome.

The removed chairman-elect is Jeff Maultsby, the county's manager of business and economic development. Maultsby will remain division chair of Sarasota Tomorrow — a chamber unit financially supported by local companies that promotes the idea that businesses do good things for the overall community.