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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.
Maultsby referred all questions to Steve Queior, president and chief executive of the chamber, saying only “the issue has been dealt with.”
Queior says a group of chamber officials began to talk about the possibility of rescinding Maultsby's appointment in several meetings early last month. Maultsby was appointed last October as the chamber's chairman-elect for 2009-2010, a position that would turn into chairman by October 2010.
Queior says he spoke with John Cranor, a local semi-retired executive who recently completed a term as chairman of the chamber board and Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley about Maultsby. The trio came to a mutual agreement on Maultsby not taking the position, says Queior, with the hope that they could correct a mistake before it became a festering issue.
“It wasn't a large brouhaha,” says Queior. “It was just a thought that this might not be something we want to do.”
Adds Queior: “It might seem unusual to someone from a private business that a government person was elevated to lead a business organization.”
Still, Queior and one other chamber board member say they knew of no specific complaints regarding Maultsby's position since it was announced in October.
Coffee Talk, however, heard differently. In fact, several chamber members and trustees recently told the Review they felt Maultsby's appointment was a questionable move, especially since the county, at least the county commission, is seen as anti-business on many issues.
Queior says the chamber board's executive committee will likely select a new chairman-elect to replace Maultsby in the next few weeks. Bob Messick, an attorney with Icard Merrill, is the current chairman.
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