Ground Rules
for the
Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s
Annual
Honorary Mayor’s Race
The Central Pasco Honorary Mayor’s Race is a Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce fund raising tradition and is held solely for the purpose of raising donation funds for the Chamber. There is no political office that is won – real or imaginary. There is no salary or compensation for serving as Honorary Mayor. The Chamber members, who run, do so for fun and to fund raise for the Chamber and to create some visibility for themselves and their business. No Candidate or winning Honorary Mayor shall be allowed or encouraged to host events in the name of the Chamber. Any and all fun and fund raising events shall be advertised as supporting the candidate in their race for Honorary Mayor in support of the Chamber.
The Honorary Mayor has no decision making position or responsibility in the community or in the Chamber. The title is strictly ceremonial. The Honorary Mayor may attend Ribbon Cuttings, the Flapjack Festival or other Chamber related events as invited by the Chamber’s Executive Director. The Honorary Mayor shall not arrange any events under their own auspices in the name of the Chamber. If you are approached by someone other than the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce to make an appearance, the Honorary Mayor is responsible to get approval from the Executive Director
FILING FOR CANDIDACY:
On the published dates for application (may be adjusted annually), only interested Chamber members who qualify may apply to become candidates in the Honorary Mayor’s Race. The required application must be properly completed and a $50 filing fee presented to the Chamber by the application closing date. The application fee is a non-refundable contribution to the Chamber.
All qualifying candidates will be approved by the Chamber Board of Directors and are required to attend a briefing presented by the Honorary Mayor Race Committee (Committee) to review the Ground Rules and the requirements of the race. This meeting is mandatory for all qualifying candidates. There are no exceptions to this requirement – except at the discretion of the Chamber Board.
REQUIREMENTS:
All candidates must meet the minimum requirement of 21 years of age. Each candidate shall be a Central Pasco Chamber member in good standing and shall be a member of the Chamber no less than 3 months prior to applying to become a candidate.
No candidate may be involved in other like races with a neighboring Chamber as this could appear to create conflict of interest. If a candidate holds a like position with another Chamber or organization(s), he or she shall serve in only one such office and shall not concurrently be a candidate for Honorary Mayor with our Chamber.
All Honorary Mayor candidates shall be approved by the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors before becoming a qualified, official candidate.
All Honorary Mayor candidates shall be of Good Character and able to attest to having no involvement at any time in any act of moral turpitude.
All Honorary Mayor candidates shall have no Criminal Record and able to attest to never having been convicted of any criminal offense and that there are no criminal charges pending or threatened.
All Honorary Mayor candidates shall not have performed any act or engaged in any activity or employment that is or could reasonably be characterized as dishonest, immoral or indecent.
No candidate shall be allowed to campaign before the official Board approval of qualified candidates and the official Board approved campaign start date or he / she shall forfeit their candidacy.
ENDORSEMENTS:
Candidates for Honorary Mayor shall not make personal endorsements, commitments or promises of any kind to any businesses (regardless of the business’s membership in the Central Pasco Chamber) in exchange for monies or support when campaigning. While acting as Honorary Mayor, the “elected” Chamber member shall not make endorsements, commitments or promises of any kind to businesses in the name of the Chamber. Doing so is a violation of the Ground Rules.
News articles, ads, flyers and other printed materials shall be submitted to the Honorary Mayor Committee or the Chamber’s Executive Director for review and approval before publication.
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce reserves the right to request that a candidate not approach a particular Chamber member, business or organization for the purpose of underwriting or contributing to his / her candidacy due to possible conflicts of interest that could arise concerning other income development initiatives that the Chamber could have with that Chamber member or organization.
It is further understood that the Chamber cannot support or oppose political candidates or parties. The Honorary Mayor’s Race is not a political office; as such candidates for the Honorary Mayor position shall not engage in political activity and shall not engage real political figures to campaign at their fun(d) raising events. Giving complimentary passes or tickets to a specific political candidate to a fun(d) raising event that others pay to attend, is not allowed.
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce reserves the right to refuse involvement in a fun(d) raising event and reserves the right to terminate a candidate’s campaign if the Ground Rules are not strictly followed at the discretion of the Committee.
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce requests that candidates carefully consider their fun(d) raising efforts. During the planning of events, the following questions should be considered:
- Is this activity ethical?
- Could this activity be offensive to any group?
- What is the financial risk / outcome?
- Are there any unanswered questions? If so, please call the Chamber office
813-909-2722 for clarification.
SALARY:
The Honorary Mayor is a fun(d) raising activity and carries with it the reward of visibility during the weeks of the campaign or “run” for Honorary Mayor. However, salary or any form of compensation is NOT one of the rewards. The Honorary Mayor Race is a fun(d) raising contest, NOT a political office or responsibility of any kind! The contest is solely for the raising of funds for the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the title is “honorary”! Whichever candidate raises the most funds is the “elected” Honorary Mayor for the next year. The Chamber is the beneficiary of 100% of each and every contribution made by supporters to each candidate’s campaign who is running for Honorary Mayor.
DONATIONS TO CHARITY:
The Honorary Mayor candidates may suggest or recommend a charity to the Board of Directors or Committee to approve for a donation of some portion of the funds raised through their campaign efforts.
CANDIDATE RESIGNATION OR TERMINATION OF CAMPAIGN:
If a candidate should decide to resign or end their campaign for whatever reason before the ‘election’, all funds collected shall be given to the Chamber and shall not be ‘donated’ to another candidate’s campaign.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
100% of all monetary contributions or donations are acceptable and are the property of the Central Pasco Chamber. Donations from friends and citizens, from near or far, can be made in support of candidates and help him / her get “elected”. This office CAN be bought! The donations shall always be the property of the Chamber. None of the donated funds or contributions shall be spent for banners, T-shirts. All other marketing merchandise will need prior approval by the committee. All monies needed for an event, needs to be submitted with the event proposal to be approved by the committee. Money that is contributed to a candidate’s campaign shall not be spent to promote or support his / her business or another’s business. The money that is contributed shall not be spent on marketing the candidate’s campaign. The donated money shall belong at all times to the Chamber and shall be regarded as the property of the Chamber.
All checks received shall be made payable to the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and deposited into an authorized “deposit only” account and expenses cannot be reimbursed under any circumstances through this account.
No bank accounts shall be opened under the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s name by any individual and no campaign donations shall be allowed to be deposited in any unauthorized bank account for any reason.
If the Honorary Mayor Candidate conducts a campaign fundraiser that is promoted in support of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Race, all proceeds shall go to the Chamber. The sponsor(s) or any individuals involved with the event may take no fees, commissions or salary for their participation in the event.
RACE RESULTS:
The Honorary Mayor Race officially ends March 2013 exact date to be determined based on the Annual Business Expo. Winner will be announced before close of expo on Saturday pm. ALL candidates must appear at the location to be determined on the Friday, start of business expo with cashier’s check(s) in the amount of the total funds raised during his / her campaign. The Honorary Mayor Race Committee will receive the cashier’s check(s) from the candidates. No check(s) shall be received after 7:00 pm on the Friday, start day of expo.
The winner of the Honorary Mayor Race shall be designated “Honorary Mayor” and shall be entitled to that title designation until the successor is named at the following years business expo. During the period of service as the Honorary Mayor, the activities in which the Honorary Mayor is engaged are designed, scheduled and supervised by the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce office in order to reflect the values and standards of the Chamber and to enhance the visibility of the Chamber and maintain broad public acceptance of its membership.
The Honorary Mayor’s Race Committee has developed detailed procedures and requirements that govern the activities and conduct of the candidates for the Honorary Mayor’s Race and the resulting service of the winner of the Race. All of these procedures, standards and requirements are intended to protect and enhance the substantial public acceptance of the winner’s service and to assure that the Honorary Mayor will serve in this capacity for the benefit of the Chamber’s membership according to the Ground Rules as established and approved by the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
“FUN”(D) RAISING EVENTS:
Family oriented events are encouraged. All fun(d) raising events shall be approved by the Committee and the Chamber’s Executive Director. Fund raising events shall not be advertised as Chamber sponsored events and shall clearly state the purpose of the event as a fund raiser. Promises to businesses of sharing in a percentage of funds raised shall not be made by the candidates since all funds raised are 100% Chamber revenue and are not available to the candidates for their distribution in any way.
Fun-draising teams for the Honorary Mayor’s Race shall not use the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s Florida State Sales Tax Exempt number or Federal Employer Identification numbers when purchasing materials, supplies or for any other purpose for fun-draisers from suppliers or vendors. Both Florida and Federal tax laws specify that independent fundraising that later provides financial support to the Chamber is prohibited from claiming exemption from State and any other applicable taxes on such purchases.
If the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce name and / or logo are used on any promotional materials, the Honorary Mayor Candidate is required to contact the Chamber office (Executive Director) for approval. The Chamber’s name and logo shall not be used in any way that may appear as a trademark or endorsement of a sponsor or a sponsor’s product(s).
CANDIDATE PARTICIPATION:
Candidates are encouraged to and may participate in:
Be a Judge at the Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival (Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club)
- Little Mr. And Ms. Flapjack, Jr. Pageant
- Ribbon Cuttings
- Ground Breakings
The acting Central Pasco Honorary Mayor does not have the authority to and shall not commit the Chamber to any activity or to endorse any activity in their name or the name of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce. The Central Pasco Honorary Mayor is not authorized to take a political stand on any issue as Honorary Mayor or in the name of the Chamber.
DUTIES OF HONORARY MAYOR:
The new Honorary Mayor will be sworn in by taking the “Oath of Office” at the Chamber’s Business Expo. He or she will be presented with the traditional sash of the office, as property of the Chamber, by the outgoing Honorary Mayor.
The Chamber makes the request of the Mayor for his / her appearance and attendance at any function. Any appearances as Honorary Mayor shall receive prior approval by the Chamber’s Executive Director for the duration of the 1 year Honorary Mayor title. The Honorary Mayor sash shall be worn only at approved Chamber events.
If a Mayor resigns, becomes unable to fulfill the term or is discharged, a replacement will be selected by the Board of Directors of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce These Ground Rules have been presented and approved by the Honorary Mayor Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce.
See the original document in Word .doc format Honorary Mayor Ground Rules 2012 rev Sept
The election is over. Thank You for donating!
Pam Oakes is Honorary Mayor of Land O Lakes for 2013/2014 raising $8291.25 for the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, with 10 percent to the Mayor’s choice of charity.
Pam Oakes, your Honorary Mayor 