Sequim Chamber of Commerce audit finds red ink

An independent audit of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce shows a net loss of $10,242 last year, plus a loss of $10,150 on the 2007 Irrigation Festival.

The chamber took in $214,116 in membership dues, and other income, including the city of Sequim's $44,000 for the chamber's operation of the Visitor Information Center at 1192 E. Washington St., and the city's $9,945 payment for "economic development" activities.

The chamber's operational expenses amounted to $224,358 last year.

That included $91,547 in payroll, and $17,573 in member services, according to the audit conducted by NFP Accounting of Bremerton.

The chamber's Irrigation Festival spending included $11,329 on the parade float, $4,817 on the festival queen and princesses, $12,674 on the logging show and $47,262 on "other Irrigation Festival expenses."

The costs of the May events totaled $110,671, while the income amounted to $100,521.

Chamber board president Bill Littlejohn did not, however, express dismay.

Instead he emphasized that his board is poised to hire a new executive director.

It could happen this week, Littlejohn said, when the board holds a special meeting to interview three finalists.

A selection could be made after the meeting on Thursday.

Step forward
The audit, expected to cost $6,000, is in one sense a step forward, Littlejohn said, that allows the chamber to move beyond recent trials.

The board ordered the audit after a group of angry business people, who named themselves the Concerned Chamber Committee, demanded it in February.

After the board fired executive director Lee Lawrence Jan. 18 — without supplying enough reasons to satisfy some chamber members — the CCC formed to call for greater accountability from the organization.

A months-long uncivil war between the CCC, led by Gil Simon of Sequim Village Glass, and the board led to the chamber membershipwide election of eight new board members in April.

Later, Littlejohn replaced interim board president Walt Schubert, who'd replaced Joe Borden, the president of the board that fired Lawrence.

When asked how the chamber might improve its financial health, Littlejohn said, "Hopefully we can increase our membership.

"There's things we can do . . . and I'm encouraged. I know we have a good board, a responsible board.

"We have a good staff," led by office administrator Jeri Smith and interim executive director Carolyn Cooper.

The current 12-member board is a blend of people from diverse professions: Borden, a retired military man who's chairman of the Irrigation Festival, real estate broker Ron Gilles, Olympic Music School director Deborah Rambo Sinn, Blue Whole Gallery artist Lizbeth Harper and attorney Ron Bell among them.