Other issues are getting the chamber's ardent backing, too, under the stewardship of Wonderling, a former Republican state senator whose district included Montgomery and several neighboring counties.
"We are kicking it up a notch," he said of the chamber's advocacy mission in an interview Wednesday at The Inquirer. "But not in an obnoxious, no-holds-barred way."
Wonderling's comments came a week after he labeled as untrue a published report out of Washington saying that his group, and some dues-paying members, was unhappy with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for bankrolling aggressive campaign plays to help elect mostly Republican candidates in the recent congressional elections.
Through its own efforts, the regional chamber - which, Wonderling has taken pains to point out, is independent from the national chamber - is pursuing a more consensus-oriented approach to achieving its public-policy goals.
"I think the days of finger-pointing, torches, and pitchforks only get you so far," Wonderling said.
It was at the urging of local corporate chief executives who belong to the chamber and met with him soon after he was hired last year, Wonderling said, that he agreed to join efforts to address problems plaguing Route 422, a vital artery jammed every morning and evening by commuters to such corporate giants as Vanguard.
The notorious roadway - which cuts across Montgomery, Chester, and Berks Counties - was among the top three priorities identified by the corporate CEOs Wonderling met with. The other two were expansion at Philadelphia International Airport and the need for high-speed rail lines in the region, he said.
