Chandler Chamber breakfast: Unique statements made

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

There were a few fairly unique statements made at the Jan. 9 “Meet The Officials” breakfast, hosted by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.

One was by a “Chamber of Commerce,” though that wasn’t someone with ties to any Arizona chamber.
Jennings Imel, the vice president of the Western Region for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, gave an address on U.S. Chamber concerns and initiatives, as those pertain to Congress, was one of the main speakers.

Imel, although focused on the Trump Administration and how tariffs and many other aspects of business lobbying affect Chandler, took a moment, this time, to talk about an aspect of legislation that must be passed.

“At some point, we need to get back to the table and have an immigration reform deal done,” Imel said. “That’s good for the economy, good for employers and good for folks that are here.”

Imel said among the 13 to 14 million undocumented people in the U.S., some have children and grandchildren.

“They contribute to the economy and to their communities,” Imel said. “We need to figure out how to give them a pathway to live and work here, from a moral and an economic perspective.”

Imel was not part of the main event at the breakfast. That was a lighthearted and sometimes-humorous debate banter about the ongoing Arizona Legislature session, involving Charles Coughlin, president of the lobbying firm HighGround Inc. and Mike Haenar of the PR firm Lumen Strategies.

The debate was moderated by Angela Creedon. She’s Arizona’s public affairs director for county, city and higher education for Intel Corporation.

Chandler Chamber Director Terri Kimble and Chamber 2026 Board of Directors President Andrea Marconi also spoke. So did Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, who listed water reforms among many positives for the city that the mayor states he’s overseen.

Alan Eder of the Salt River Project also spoke briefly.

Jantzen Edgar, a Hamilton High School student, sang the national anthem at the well-attended event.

Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as those meet our  Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.