Interim Chamber president responds to allegations of predecessor’s improper spending

The Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce’s interim president issued a statement Tuesday morning attempting to quell anxiety and reassure chamber members after allegations arose last week that his predecessor improperly spent thousands of dollars in chamber funds on personal vacations and a swimming pool.

The predecessor, Liz Simpers, told the Wake Weekly she was not commenting in response to the allegations.

When asked for comment, Simpers confirmed she is seeking a cease and desist order against the website that published the allegations and is working with her attorney.

“I have no plans to speak about this,” she added.

Joe Kimray has served as interim chamber president since mid-May. He succeeded former President Liz Simpers, who resigned in late April due to personal reasons, according to an April 29 press release announcing her resignation.

In a message to all chamber members, Kimray said all matters related to Simpers’ resignation had been resolved and there’d been no disruption to day-to-day or long-term chamber services.

“We all do the best we can to ensure that we manage our businesses and our staff honestly and efficiently — as well as staying true to our mission, vision and values. I want to absolutely reassure you that in this situation regarding the resignation of our former President, we did just that,” Kimray wrote. “We took all reasonable and immediate steps to ensure that Liz’s departure would not impact you, our staff or our chamber operations in any negative way.”

The allegations against Simpers stem from a July 17 article in the Wake Forest Gazette claiming Simpers inappropriately spent $40,000 in chamber funds and was forced to resign while repaying the money in installments.

The article alleges Simpers used the money to pay for “overseas vacations and a new pool at her house.”

According to the Gazette’s contact page, Carol Pelosi serves as publisher and editor of the publication. When reached for comment, Pelosi said she’d received a cease-and-desist letter and was hesitant to discuss the allegations without consulting legal counsel.

Further along in his message, Kimray said the chamber wasn’t hiding any information about the allegations against Simpers and that it’s following the same standard of confidentiality it would take with any other current or former employee.

“Liz resigned for personal reasons, and the Chamber must continue to respect her privacy — as we would do with any member of our staff,” he wrote.

When asked directly via email to confirm or deny the allegations, Kimray reiterated that personnel confidentiality procedures prevented him from saying more.

Similarly, town of Wake Forest communications officials didn’t offer comment on the veracity of the allegations when asked.

In his message, Kimray referred to the accusations as “rumors” and claimed the chamber only learned about them when the Gazette story was published.

“The Chamber cannot and does not rely on rumors, and we hope that you all understand and feel the same,” he said.

The story generated significant interest among readers of the Gazette. Where stories from the publication typically receive fewer than 10 comments, the story about Simpers, titled “Chamber President Embezzled Thousands,” received 93 comments as of Tuesday afternoon.

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