With the Harbor Bridge in the background, chamber staff proudly stand in front of their new office at 1823 N. Chaparral St. in Corpus Christi. On the steps of the former Tex-Mex Railway Depot are (from left) communications liaison Deborah Teixeira, president and CEO Teresa Rodriguez Bartlett, director of business development Amanda Elizondo and director of membership services David Davila. The chamber moved into is new home in June of this year, and recently remodeled it. Photo by Jennifer O'Neill

With the Harbor Bridge in the background, chamber staff proudly stand in front of their new office at 1823 N. Chaparral St. in Corpus Christi. On the steps of the former Tex-Mex Railway Depot are (from left) communications liaison Deborah Teixeira, president and CEO Teresa Rodriguez Bartlett, director of business development Amanda Elizondo and director of membership services David Davila. The chamber moved into is new home in June of this year, and recently remodeled it. Photo by Jennifer O’Neill

The deadline for voting on the decision to merge the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has been extended to Wednesday, Dec. 23. This is the second extension. Originally set for Dec. 11, the vote was first extended to Dec. 18 and now Dec. 23 because some eligible members did not receive their ballots in time.
Currently, the Corpus Christi Chamber has about 1,000 members compared to about 400 members of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. A simple majority will decide the vote. 
Eligible voters are businesses that have paid their dues as of Nov. 1. Anyone who has not received a ballot and is eligible to vote should contact Palacios & Palacios, certified public accountants at 402 People St. Call (361) 884-8322 or email Fino Palacios at FinoCPA@msn.com
Both chambers would benefit from a merger, said chairman of the Corpus Christi chamber, Gabe Guerra.
“This is not about what’s good for one or the other,” he said. “It’s about what is good for both. This would create one organization that can focus on many things. Some things the Hispanic Chamber does better than we do, and some we do better. We need to decide how to bring those things together to increase the value of small business in a big way.”
The idea has been discussed over the years but has never gotten this far.
“There’s a tremendous amount of synergy that can be developed between these two great organizations,” Guerra said. “There’s a lot of legacy and history. We want to be sure what we end up with will be a new, unified entity to honor both.”
As the the vote continues on what could be a historic step, both chambers also struggle with replacing top leadership positions.
In late November, Dr. Gilda Ramirez was named interim president of the Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, replacing Teresa Rodriquez Bartlett, who resigned for another job. Bartlett was hired by the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau to serve as chief public affairs and business development officer.
Meanwhile, Foster Edwards, president of the Corpus Christi Chamber, gave notice a six months ago, setting Oct. 31 as his last day on the job. He agreed to remain while the search for his replacement continues.