From: Casey Evan
To: Alex Stillman; Kimberley White; Meredith Matthews; Stacy Atkins-Salazar; Sarah Schaefer Cc: City Manager"s Office
Subject: Request to Reinstate Council Liaison to the Arcata Chamber of Commerce Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 4:35:06 PM
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Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council Members,
Thank you for your dedicated service to the City of Arcata.
I am formally requesting that the City Council consider discussing and subsequently reinstating a Council primary liaison and alternate appointment to the Arcata Chamber of Commerce during discussion at the Dec 11 Special Meeting.
Background and History
For many years, it was standard practice to appoint a Council liaison to the Chamber. This representative was responsible for attending Chamber meetings & activities, providing necessary information to the Chamber Board, and reporting relevant updates back to the Council. A similar liaison was also historically appointed to Arcata Main Street, prior to its merger.
Timeline
Dec 14, 2023: This was the last time a Chamber liaison was assigned. Newly-elected Mayor Matthews was serving as the Chamber Executive Director, Council member White was assigned as primary liaison, and Council member Atkins-Salazar was assigned as the alternate, (per adopted minutes).
Dec 12, 2024: The Chamber liaison was not included in the annual agendized list, nor was its removal from the liaison list formally discussed (per adopted minutes and meeting recording).
Why Reinstatement is Needed Now
Reinstating an official liaison appointment during this time of Executive Director transition would greatly benefit Arcata businesses & residents and the entire Humboldt community.
The official presence of an elected official would:
Strengthen Collaboration: Continue to fortify the already strong partnership between the Chamber and the City;
Ensure Understanding: Continue to assist the Board's understanding of Arcata’s complex and evolving local government political landscape; Facilitate Information Sharing (City to Chamber): Keep the Board promptly apprised of emerging City goals, opportunities, concerns, economic policies, and development strategies;
Facilitate Information Sharing (Chamber to City): Provide a formal channel for the Council and public to receive updates from the Chamber during scheduled open government meetings.
Precedent for Easy Reinstatement
During the Special Meeting on Dec 15, 2022, the Council successfully and easily reinstated formal liaison representation for FOAM (Friends of the Arcata Marsh) at the request of Council member Stillman. The quick process involved very minimal Council discussion (video link at approx. 34 minutes).
I hope the potential reinstatement of a liaison appointment to the Chamber can be discussed at your Special Meeting on Thursday.
Thank you for your attention to this request.
Warm holiday greetings to you all.