SOAP LAKE — Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce Vice President Susan Carson made a statement at the recent regular council meeting that she will be stepping down from her role and the chamber as a whole, at the end of 2025. She also let the community know Abate of Grant County will not host any further events in the Soap Lake community.  

“This decision has not been made lightly,” Carson said during the meeting. “My commitment to this community has always been based on transparency, cooperation and the shared goal of providing meaningful events for residents and visitors.”  

Carson has served as the vice president for three years. Previously, she served for two years on the Soap Lake Business Coalition. Carson said she had concerns with the recent changes on how tourism dollars are being allocated by the city, saying the environment is no longer “workable.”  

“With the elimination of the Awardment Committee and the mayor appointing himself to oversee all tourism funding decisions, the process has become increasingly tumultuous and lacking in accountability,” Carson said.  

However, Mayor Peter Sharp said establishing the tourism committee has been quite difficult because it needs to be made up of members without any conflicts of interest.  

“If someone is sitting on council or the creative district or leading any of the events that would get tourism fund allocations, that is a conflict of interest and we can’t have that,” Sharp said. 

Sharp explained events that recur yearly; those funds have already been allocated in the preliminary budget. However, for any new events, paperwork needs to be filled out and brought to the council. Sharp said council can also allocate tourism dollars, if applicable, to support a new event.  

Carson said throughout this year, she had requested awardment letter for every event she applied for. She claims the award letters were never provided by the city. 

However, Sharp said Carson never contacted city hall for the awardment letters. 

Carson said without awardment letters, she could not have a clear understanding of the budget for each event she organized.  

“When questions were raised, the responses were consistently dismissive, such as ‘don’t worry about it,” or ‘that’s not the actual number,” Carson said.  

She said the tourism application was only just recently posted to the city of Soap Lake’s website – with a Dec. 30 deadline. She said this doesn’t align with the timeline necessary for council approval with the budgeting process.  

“What many may not realize is that I have not only been the one applying for tourism dollars, but also the individual leading and coordinating city events,” Carson said. “Under the current circumstances, I cannot continue putting myself through this ongoing stress and lack of clarity. As a result, the future of many local events remains uncertain.”  

Carson added that Abate of Grant County will no longer be hosting the Easter Egg Hunt or the Motorcycle Rally in Soap Lake.  

“Their decision stems from the same concerns surrounding the handling of tourism dollars, the absence of consistent communication and the overall disregard shown toward nonprofits seeking clear answers,” Carson said.  

Abate will relocate its events to other area communities. 

“I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to all who have supported the events and efforts over these years,” Carson said. “My commitment has always been to this community, and this decision comes with deep disappointment but also with clarity that the current environment does not support the work needed to maintain these events.”