Dear Editor,

We have received several inquiries and complaints about recent election campaign mailings in the Indiana House District 22 race. This letter is sent to clarify our position and involvement in any political race during this primary season. 

The Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce is not an affiliate or subsidiary of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. We are independent organizations. Neither anyone on our staff, our Executive Committee, nor our Board of Directors were communicated with or consulted on any campaign mailings. Our organization does not endorse candidates or get involved in election campaigns.  We do not have a political action committee – nor do we make contributions to any candidate.

The Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce is your community’s Chamber of Commerce. The businesses that invest in us invest in this community. The funds they generously invest in us stay here in the community.  They are directed to programs and events by a local Board of Directors. None of the funds we receive are channeled to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

We are not a division of either chamber – nor are we an affiliate, franchise, or other form of those entities. We collaborate with both on issues of commonality.  And we share resources much like one United Way would share with another.  This is true of all Chambers of Commerce in the United States. We are membership organizations whose members choose voluntarily to join.

Political campaign activities are a major program function of the Indiana Chamber. We have contacted them to pass along comments and questions received from people in our community.

That said, we challenge the winner of today’s primary to reach out to the entire community to heal the wounds caused in this campaign. The voters are always more important than any one candidate, and the first order of business for the candidates is to work hard to make their community whole again.

Mark Dobson
President & CEO
Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce