Over the course of several meetings, councilors have discussed a lease agreement between the town and the Edgewood Chamber or Commerce.

The lease became an issue after a meet and greet with two Republican candidates was held in the chamber offices.

The event — which could be seen as an endorsement for the candidates — caused councilors to question what kinds of events would be appropriate in that space, which is paid for by the town of Edgewood.

According to the chamber treasurer, Matthew Cox, the event was held by a member of the chamber. He said barring members from holding these political functions would discriminate against some members of the chamber.

"We have politicians paying into the chamber," he said.

Beyond that, the chamber believes it is its legal right to hold such events, he said.

According to town councilor John Abrams, the issue is whether the chamber was becoming embroiled in local politics in an inappropriate way.

"Even though that line may or may not have been crossed in the past, it's my intent not to cross it in the future," he said.

Chamber president Tony Scott pointed out that, as a 501(c)6 organization, the chamber can endorse politicians. He also points out that the chamber is a separate entity from the town, and that it should be treated as a tenant in the offices, not a beneficiary of the town's support.

However, the town's attorney, Marcus Rael, said that the agreement between the town and the chamber is not the usual agreement between a resident and private landlord, because the town is a public entity. While that is a situation that comes with its own restrictions, Rael deferred to the town council members' judgement on how they would handle their tenet. He also pointed out that the council could run afoul of chamber members' rights to freedom of speech.

"This is really a policy issue," he said.

Further complicating things, Scott has said that the chamber pays its way with in-kind contributions to the town. For example, the chamber of commerce distributes information about Edgewood, maintains office hours, and puts on several events throughout the year.

He is asking that the town and the chamber make a record of those contributions, with dollar values, and subtract the cost of services against what the chamber would pay to rent the facility.

Scott went on to say that political events held in the chamber offices are not necessarily put on by chamber itself, but are often events held by chamber members. It would be wrong to force the chamber to limit members' activity due to public ignorance of those distinctions, he said.

The town council asked that the chamber write out a policy that allows for equal access to the facility for all chamber members, regardless of political motivations.

Councilor Brad Hill said that agreement would add a level of clarity for future disputes.

"If (the agreement) is violated, we can come back and say this is where we agreed …" he said.