Perry visit prompts Herschend to vacate state chamber post

Peter Herschend, co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., which operates Silver Dollar City Attractions, said the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry violated a “core value” when it supported Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s late-August visit to the Show-Me State.

Herschend said the chamber, which sponsored Perry’s trip to St. Louis to hear him pitch for an override of tax-cut initiative House Bill 253, might have been surprised to learn Perry was coming to pitch Texas to Missouri businesses.

However, Herschend said that’s no excuse for the chamber not standing opposed to Perry’s attempted business-grab.

In response to the visit, Herschend, who is also the current president of the State Board of Education, resigned his post as a member of the chamber’s board earlier this month.

“My resignation was a matter of principle,” he said. “When the chamber allowed its name to continue to be used as a sponsor, a host, of Gov. Rick Perry’s visit to Missouri and the absolute purpose of his visit was to encourage business and jobs to leave Missouri, speaking in church terms, that’s a core value. It’s like believing in the Resurrection if you are a Christian. And it is the antithesis of what the chamber ought to be allowing its name to be associated with.”

Missouri chamber Vice President of Communications Karen Buschmann said the chamber was upset to see Herschend vacate his board position.

“We are disappointed, but respect his decision and right to disagree with our position on the tax-reduction legislation,” she said via email.

Herschend said he had been opposed to HB 253 because it was “a poorly written” proposal, but that was not the reason he stepped down from the board.

“I can live with policy disagreements, but core values, you don’t compromise those,” he said.

Although many school districts from across the state, including Springfield Public Schools, came out against override attempts ahead of the Sept. 11 veto session, Herschend said the state board did not take a position on the legislation.

Herschend supports tax cuts, but said he felt language in the bill was too broad and a lack of future revenue resulting from the measure could have put the state’s budget in a pinch in the future.

In the Missouri House of Representatives, an override attempt of Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto failed to secure a two-thirds majority by 15 votes.

“I am for tax reduction. Who isn’t? But I am only for doing tax reduction in a well-thought-through, systematic way that does not endanger the fiscal well-being of the state of Missouri,” Herschend said. “HB 253 didn’t meet that test by a long shot.”

After being asked by the chamber to talk to business leaders in St. Louis about the Lone Star state’s lack of state income taxes and give his ideological support for an override of HB 253, Perry used the opportunity to take out a series of ads with broadcasters across the state encouraging Missouri businesses to come to Texas.

Based on a conversation with chamber president Dan Mehan, Herschend said he believes the chamber was blindsided by pitches to Missouri businesses, but felt the association, which represents nearly 3,000 businesses across the state, is at fault for not responding appropriately.  

“I told Dan, the nanosecond you heard Perry’s message, you ought to have pulled the plug. You ought to have said, ‘We didn’t know. We disavow’,” Herschend said. “Perry has a perfect right to come to the state to do that.

“Gov. Nixon has a perfect right to go to Dallas and do the same thing. But it is in poor taste to do it publicly.”

Although Herschend no longer serves on the chamber’s board, he said his company would remain a member.

“The chamber of commerce does very good work on many fronts. We have been part of it for years and will continue to be part of it,” Herschend said.

Buschmann said the chamber would select Herschend’s successor at its November board meeting.