The Government Affairs Council is an important part of the Chamber’s focus on economic development, one of our key platforms. This Council meets on the second Thursday of each month from 7:30 to 9 AM, and participation is open to any Chamber member with an interest in being
engaged with our state and local government and helping foster a vibrant Cape Ann economy. Currently, those who are part of our monthly meetings include representatives from Cape Ann’s industrial, tourism, government, real estate, legal, non-profit and services sectors.
In our most recent meeting – on December 13 – we reviewed a very active year of Chamber engagement in government affairs and economic development in 2018. Highlights included nine Division meetings in Essex, Manchester and Rockport; our annual Economic Outlook Breakfast in
March featuring Gorton’s CEO Jud Reis as keynote speaker; spring and fall Cape Ann Caucuses that brought Council members together with Cape Ann’s legislative delegation and local officials and school leaders; and our annual Cape Ann Small Business Week in June. The Council also helped
shape the Chamber’s position on several local and state policy issues in 2018, including support for the Fuller School project, support for a level tax rate for Gloucester businesses, and opposition to ballot question 2.
At the December meeting, the Council also heard updates on the Chamber’s EntrepreneurSHIP initiatives, including the Cape Ann Innovators Collaborative (CAIC) and follow-up actions growing out of the September “Blue Economy” forum. Save the date of January 31 for the next CAIC forum, on the topic of the Creative Economy.
At each Government Affairs Council meeting, members also exchange information on current issues and developments in each Cape Ann community.
In future updates, we’ll provide reports on these and other activities of the Government Affairs Council. If you’d like to learn more or join in these meetings, please contact Ken or me. Our next meeting is on January 10 at the Chamber.
Bill Scott | Chair, Government Affairs Council | Scott Energy Company
