... SD: I think that's what the three of them need to do, though, that's what I'm saying.

JS: And so he's gonna get the black community to come up here and deal with the bickering. And I'm gonna make a commitment to talk to the other two commissioners and tell them that's what our strategy is as long as this executive committee agrees to that.

And insist that they do what you kids said--force these people to make mistakes. Hold the line, stick to the real issues, force them to make mistakes, and when it gets bad enough we'll be back there to spotlight it again. And I think working as a team, we can get that done.

SD: John, one other precaution I would recommend. and that is they're going to be waiting for us to make mistakes. We've won the battle, but not the war, and you've got to be extra careful now because they'll play on anything and everything that the Chamber does or doesn't do. So we've got to not only capitalize and get some PR and make us...

[Nancy Ward comes into meeting]

SD: ... capitalize on what has taken place. 'Cause it was a heck of a victory. And get some PR out of 'The Chamber In Action' and try to change our Image and get rid of the tarnish that's there. But I think we've got to be very careful. Just like we're waiting for them to blunder, they're gonna be waiting for us.

JS: Well, you can bet they've gone out to regroup.

SD: One other question I have, John, you know, In regard, you mentioned the black community and getting them to rally on certain issues. Do we have any member on the board or anybody that is of the black community?

JS: I've appointed Cleve Sharpe and, as I told Rosa [Williams] this morning--you were standing there by her. I don't know if you heard me. We've Invited five or six people and we've made a concerted effort through last year and Chris Beechier's division to reach out and It just never got done, and Chris is staying in charge of that this year. I've asked him. He said he would. is that under...

OK, we've got another chairman. But you're right.

CS: That's Important. Because, you know. In fact, I called her aside, and I thanked her for her comments, appreciated 'em, I thought they were well-taken. Just to salve over the things that Chuck did, because you don't want to hear it over and over and over again. But, uh, it's noticeable at this morning's meeting and the last one that we aren't looking towards the minority issues that are at hand; that the, that part of the population doesn't have the Chamber to go to, is what they're saying. They lost their crusader.

JS: I know, Charley. At our executive committee meeting we elected to keep from splintering...

SD: At the planning session we elected, or we said that maybe we don't, that's not a major focus. We did say that, but at the joint executive committee meeting...

JS: We committed to carry it on. but not with the same emphasis we had last year. And Chris Beechler has agreed to continue with that and we need to be careful not to, because of all these good projects, tack things on that dilute our energies. But, uh, I think it ought to be under membership services. Chris has agreed to do it. As a product of this morning's meeting we're gonna jump over to your shop.

Rosa Williams has some ideas about how to work with that part of the community. They have some regular meetings that go on. She said they were gonna get, and the lady from... Ava something

MH: Avis Butler.

JS: Yeah, Avis Butler is gonna get us included in that, so I'll funnel it to Chris through you. or if they call here do that. What she's doing is there's some existing... First of all, I find out that they don't trust Cleve Sharpe, the black business community. I didn't know that till this morning. Uh. "The Chamber of Commerce is a bunch of elitist racists, except for Chuck McKeown." And we do have an Image problem that maybe If Chris can capture that and if you can just devote a little bit of energy to making sure that the right people hook up with the right people... I think there's. we're gonna have to take the chance that that Image goes on another year. Because I don't know that we have enough...

SD: What's that thing called?

MH: Minority outreach?

JS: But it's the Small Business Development Task Force, or something like that... Small Business Outreach..

MH: What we called it last year, you mean? We changed it from "Minority" to "Small Business."‘ Cause we didn't want to use the word "minority."

SD: Small something Outreach. I was...

JS: Be aware that that's there.

SD: Now, I'm sorry, but I don't know Rosa

Williams.

JS: I'll get her in touch with you. She works at Sunland. She is the black political power. There are other fragments that black...And the other Important one is Willie Mayberry. I think If you were to pick three black political leaders who can do everything, that aren't elected officials, It would be Rosa Williams, Willie Mayberry, and Doctor...

MT: Hank Haskins?

JS: No. the preacher.

NW: Well, John, none of you asked Cynthia Chestnut...

JS: Cynthia's ... I'm talking about other than the elected officials. Cynthia's ... Cullen Banks and LaKay Banks and Cynthia Chestnut and Portia Taylor--and those kind of people are a different segment of the black community. Is that what you're thinking of?

NW: If you talk to the Cynthia's and Ports they do not have much regard for Rosa.

JS: I know, I know. And there are clear divisions in their community. You're absolutely right, Nancy. There's two distinct strata, but we don't have an image problem in the Dr. Banks-Cynthia Chestnut group. Really. Well, we have something of one...

NW: Last year she dropped her membership.

JS: She's back. But anyway, I don't think we need to spend a whole lot of time on that at this meeting. We have an image problem. We've got to recognize it. We've got to make some... We've got to continue some effort. I committed to Becky that we'd keep it going another year and so...

MT: Willie Mayberry was at that Phil Emmer, Howard Hodor meeting and spoke very forcefully about, and committed to being there, but didn't show up.

JS: He might have been in one of the outer rooms.

MT: Well, anyway, he didn't. And I was thinking that when Willie goes to work here, is there a black ministerial association?

JS: Willie Mayberry, and Doctor... the preacher... Reverend...

SD: I've heard his name, too, 'cause Chris has said It, but I don't

MT: They're accomplished speakers, who...

JS: It's called the Santa Fe...

SD: It's the Black Ministerial Alliance.

JS: Well, yeah, but there's a Santa Fe Baptist, Santa Fe River Baptist Alliance, that's a subset of that.

NW: That's the group at The Village--the Santa Fe River Baptist...

JS: The black group?

NW: NO. NO. Then It's a... There's a... There's this... The Santa Fe Ministerial Association or Alliance is different from the black one. I want to say the Santa Fe River, but maybe it's not. Maybe it's the River Jordan. But anyway, their meeting hall, their joint meeting hall is up on Waldo. Just south of Waldo between Fairbanks and Waldo on the west side of the road. I know that because I've been there a number of times on political functions. They draw in about six or eight black Baptist congregations who are committed to following what the preacher says and who get very politically active and Willie is the leader of that. Willie Mayberry. And the Reverend... Damn, I wish I could remember his...

NW: Reverend Damn! (laughter)

JS: It'll come to me. He's the professor emeritus of the group. But Reverend Mayberry is definitely an asset and a good friend of mine, that I can call on whenever we need to. Maybe we do need to fold him In here somewhere. In Your division, not in the business outreach, 'cause that's phony.

MT: He said he was happy to be, or seemingly was, to be a member of that group.

JS: Keep tied to that name. And If You need me to call him, fine. But you were there and You know him, and You can call him on that basis cause he's a good guy.

So our strategy. any argument with the strategy, let them screw up and let's keep reinforcing the good people with...

(Continuing...)