The Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, in calling Monday for Mayor Jim West’s resignation, turned a brief separation of the city’s political leader and business leaders into a divorce.

In the days after the mayor’s use of the Internet to find young male sexual partners was disclosed, Chamber officials had hoped he would at least take a leave of absence or medical leave to provide a personal and civic period of recovery. West took a vacation that took him physically out of City Hall, but kept his hands on the levers of power. He resurfaced last week, participating in a regular morning meeting of department leaders, and Friday at a prayer breakfast.

West reasserted his leadership Monday in a statement that again acknowledged and apologized for “poor judgment” in his private life, but rejected allegations of misconduct in his public affairs. Investigations by the FBI and an independent panel created by City Attorney Mike Connelly will exonerate him, West says.

Meanwhile, he intends to build on a record of achievement from his first 18 months in office, achievements accomplished very much with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, which joined in the statement calling for West to resign.

The two business organizations now are in the ticklish positions of supporting an agenda for the continued progress of Spokane, and not the single individual who should be its most visible advocate. In fact, as new CVB President Harry Sladich says, West has muddled the message.

A few months ago, Time magazine did a feature on the city’s pioneering use of Wi-Fi technology. That does not seem to come up in jokes at the city’s expense from the likes of Jay Leno and Jon Stewart — clever as they may be.

“We’re certainly getting questions, and it’s primarily the people who are trying to determine whether to bring their group here,” Sladich says. More than one-third of the CVB’s clients are religious groups, he notes, although he adds those groups have not been any more curious about recent developments than others.

But, for example, in July the Sister Cities International conference will draw 800 representatives from around the world. A simultaneous Sino-U.S. Sister Cities meeting will be attended by an estimated 100 delegates from 70 cities in China. Both occasions will provide unparalleled opportunities for Spokane to make a good impression.

Somehow, the city must find a way to finesse the fact the mayor’s authority has been compromised in a very significant segment of the community. In fact, a segment very much responsible for his election. A breakdown of the votes that brought him victory in 2003 showed big margins downtown and on the South Hill, the very areas home to many business leaders.

West spoke barely an hour after the Chamber and CVB called for his resignation. He did not respond directly to their statement, although he had been informed of the pending statements in a meeting earlier in the day. Clearly, though, he intends to hang on.

Attorney Bill Etter says West believes some business leaders have not abandoned him or his leadership.

“Mayor West is of the opinion that despite the allegations he can and will be an effective leader for the city,” says Etter, who is representing West.Within City Hall, maybe. The mayor says at least 100 employees have sent e-mails of support. West did well by many in the last round of contract negotiations.

But that’s not enough, and if the mayor will not act in the best interests of the whole community, others must.

Former Mayor David Rodgers, who was finishing his third term back when West was just joining the City Council, suggests community leaders consider how the mayor’s situation can be turned into a positive for the city.

“If you handle it astutely, sometimes you can flip it,” he says.

The “flip” here may be two-fold: First, honoring due process and letting the investigations come to their respective conclusions about the mayor’s conduct as a public official and; second, pursuing a recall as directed by Washington law. Unfortunately, neither process will be fast, especially so in the case of a recall, which will require fairly substantial financial support as well. And, publicly anyway, citizen Shannon Sullivan has been the lone voice trying to organize a recall.

The Chamber or another group must get after it. The community must avoid the kind of impulsive behavior that characterized City Council meetings just a few years ago, but it cannot send a message that what the mayor considers private conduct passes community standards.