COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to make their annual $10,000 funding request to the Downtown Development Authority Board Wednesday morning.
The normally routine request was put on hold a couple of months ago in order to allow the Chamber board time to review matters after accusations were made by Dan Corwin during his campaign for a seat on the City Council.
Corwin said the Chamber denied him booth space during Applefest, while booths were allowed for the Republican and Democratic Parties, as well as for the Coldwater Community School District in their efforts to get voter approval of a millage and bond proposal.
Corwin said in a Facebook posting that it was a clear violation of constitutional rights by the Chamber, the DDA and the City of Coldwater. He later posted a comment on the Chamber’s Facebook page in which he blasted the Chamber for waging war on non-members and those they don’t like adding they discriminate in events based on politics.
Chamber Director Nicole Steele read a prepared statement to the D.D.A. two months ago which said “while a review of our policies and processes for running events seems sound, and has revealed no reason for us to alter them, the fact is that we live in a time of social media, where a single rant can influence opinion or perception.”
The DDA has provided funding to the Chamber for the past three years. The money has been used by the Chamber to offset the cost of running downtown events.
