Calls for change in Long Beach chamber leadership

Competing slate in election sparks charged meeting

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Last week’s Chamber of Commerce meeting grew contentious, to say the least, when a group of business owners and residents called for a change in leadership and claimed that the organization has done little to support local businesses.

More than 30 people attended the chamber’s annual membership meeting on Jan. 14 at the Long Beach Hotel, where chamber President Mark Tannenbaum presented this year’s proposed 13-member board of directors. The group was approved by the chamber’s nominating committee in December, with Tannenbaum again selected as president.

But a number of people called for his ouster after the proposal of an alternative slate of candidates — some of whom were also included on the nominating committee's list — ahead of an election scheduled for the Feb. 22 meeting.

Many called the alternates the first opposing slate in recent memory, saying the move signaled a groundswell of support for change in the chamber, and that many in town have become disillusioned with it.

“The people on the existing board, they want to be on our slate as well,” said Ian Danby, a co-founder and partner at Cybernet, who was not at the meeting but is among those seeking election and leading the effort. “We’re trying not to make this about any particular person, and make it about the businesses of Long Beach.”

Tannenbaum dismissed the criticism. He said that the members who agreed to be included on both lists did so only to maintain their board seats, not because they supported his ouster. After the meeting, he said that some of those seeking election have personal gripes, haven’t been members in years and have only recently joined — in some cases the day of the meeting — in an attempt to take over the chamber.

“I knew something was going on,” said Tannenbaum, who became president last year. “When they presented the slate, they presented a list of names that were not chamber members. Part of this whole uproar is that we didn’t include Ian on the slate this year, and he caused a lot of adversity and tried to power-broker.”

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