As a current city council member seeking reelection and a former member of the Broussard Chamber of Commerce, I am deeply concerned about the current relationship between the current city administration and the Broussard Chamber of Commerce. Recent activities have made it clear that the Chamber is heavily biased towards the current city administration and has taken steps to ensure that their will, not the will of the people, determines the outcome of the upcoming election.
As a former board member and Chairman of the Broussard Chamber of Commerce, I am disappointed in the organization’s decision to host a political candidate forum. The Chamber’s mission is to promote business and economic growth in the community, not to engage in partisan politics. Furthermore, the Chamber’s bylaws expressly forbid the use of its resources for political purposes.
Given the recent events that have transpired, I would like to take this opportunity to address a recent invitation that I received to a political debate hosted by the Chamber. First and foremost, I want to reiterate that the Broussard Chamber of Commerce is a non-political organization. Our mission is to promote and enhance economic development in the Broussard community, and we work tirelessly to support our local businesses and entrepreneurs.
To that end, on July 5th, I received an email from the Chamber’s President & CEO requesting that I not wear a Broussard Chamber shirt while promoting the 4th of July celebration in St. Julien Park. In that email, the Chamber stated, “the members of the Broussard Chamber of Commerce have indicated clearly that they do not approve of the chamber engaging in political activities.”
Two months later, it seems the Chamber has changed its tune and decided to enter into local politics, despite the members not approving of the Chamber engaging in political activities. I am disappointed in the Chamber of Commerce’s recent decision to host a political forum with underwriting guidelines that are vague and biased. As the Chamber stated in the invitation, “the forum will allow candidates the chance to field selected questions solicited from the public in advance.”
The Chamber is favoring the current administration, as evidenced by its recent social media posts, which is not fair to the other candidates running for office. I believe that all candidates should be given an equal chance to share their platforms with the community. I refuse to allow my passion for serving this community to be hijacked by the Chamber’s biased decision-making.
I am happy to participate in a one-on-one debate with my opponent or a candidate forum with an unbiased host and where the questions/topics up for discussion come from a trusted source, the people of Broussard. However this unfolds or is twisted by the powers that be, please know that my resolve is strong, and I will continue to fight for what is right. My phone is always on, and my door is always open should any of you need to speak to me personally.
Please know that I am committed to being an accessible and transparent leader, and I will always fight for what I believe is right for our community. I look forward to hearing from all of you as we move forward together.
Sincerely,
Jesse Regan
