TGR: Gookin Now Loves Small Biz?

The Gookin Report: Last night Dan Gookin talked about being friendly to small businesses as an important role in government. It sounded good, but here’s what he said about the the Chamber of Commerce, which promotes small businesses in Coeur d’Alene earlier this year. (The Gookin Report then posted a statement that appeared on OpenCDA.com this spring that criticized the Charlie Nipp and the urban renewal agency for providing $250,000 to the chamber for its new building downtown.) Gookin: “The Chamber owes allegiance to the LCDC, Nipp, and the elected city officials. They pay homage, they do as they’re told. And we the people? We get to use the bathrooms in that building. Such a deal!” Gookin goes on to say that “I should do up a ‘Thanks for the place to poop’ plaque for the LCDC.”

Question: Do you think challenger Dan Gookin has changed his mind re: small business? Or that he differentiates small business from the chamber of commerce?