PANAMA CITY — Rep.-elect Gwen Graham met with members of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss the area’s economic priorities.
The attendees included top civic, industry and military leaders, but the Chamber closed the meeting to reporters and even some Chamber of Commerce members, chamber president Carol Roberts said afterward. The chamber holds many events that are open to journalists, but in this case it was necessary to hold the meeting privately to allow attendees to speak more freely, she said.
“It comes a time that there are meetings we have to have privately so we can talk openly,” Roberts said.
Graham was in town as part of her North Florida Jobs Tour, which began Monday when she held meetings in Tallahassee and Jackson County. Those meetings were open to members of the press, and Graham said she would have preferred the press be allowed to attend the meeting Tuesday but was respecting the chamber’s decision to hold it privately.
“That was not our decision; it’s just the chamber’s practice that they don’t have these meetings open to the press,” Graham said.
Graham, who will be sworn into Congress next month after narrowly defeating Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, in the November election, said she’s determined to meet with the 2nd District’s business leaders and learn how she can help them in office.
“I see myself as part of the team to work together to help grow jobs and be a part of economic development in Bay County,” said Graham, D-Tallahassee.
Graham and Roberts described the meeting’s tone as positive and informative. Among the topics discussed were the allocation of RESTORE Act funds, at least two local dredging projects and efforts to ensure an air traffic control tower is available at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.
The possible encroachment of oil drilling interests into a military training area of the Gulf of Mexico came up, and Roberts said that’s an issue “tremendously important” to local military installations.
“When companies start talking about drilling in that training range, our ears definitely perk up,” Roberts said.
The training area is a big selling point when the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission meets to determine which bases are necessary and which are not, Roberts said. Graham said she’s strongly opposed to oil drilling in the training range, which might put her at odds with President Barack Obama.
“There have been some discussions about bringing oil drilling closer into the shore, which would effectively prohibit the military from continuing to do what they need to do,” Graham said. “That’s absolutely something that I will continue to fight and make sure that does not occur.”
Graham’s North Florida Jobs Tour makes its final stop Wednesday in Gadsden County.
“It’s just such an opportunity to listen to folks and hear what’s going on in the business communities and how I can be in a position to help with job growth and development,” Graham said. “I want to hit the ground running when I get to D.C., so having up-to-date information about what are the successes and challenges that our counties are facing in terms of job growth is critical to me.
