After considering a merger earlier this month, the Mattituck Chamber of Commerce has opted to continue independently of the North Fork chamber.
A motion to merge the two chambers had been received with mixed reactions from chamber members ahead of a May 9 meeting that was “well attended,” according to Mattituck Chamber president Jeff Strong.
“The overall consensus was to continue with the Mattituck Chamber while at the same time continue our great working relationship with the North Fork Chamber,” Mr. Strong said in an email to a reporter.
A past president spoke against the move ahead of the meeting, in a letter to the editor published in The Suffolk Times. Terry McShane, who works at The Express News Group on the South Fork, argued an individual chamber can better represent the interests of Mattituck businesses. He said he reached out to other local members who also feel “this is not the way to go.”
Mr. McShane emphasized he has great respect for both the Mattituck and North Fork chambers and the people running them.
Mr. Strong told The Suffolk Times ahead of the meeting that businesses in the two chambers have similar “needs and issues,” and pointed out that the North Fork Chamber has a paid administrator. A potential merger had been discussed for years, he said, and indicated Mattituck chamber traditions with community interest would continue.