× Expand Just Bakery is a vocational program run by the Madison-area Urban Ministry.

For years, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce has championed the basing of F-35 jets at Truax Field. Recently, the business group extended its support for the new fighter planes even to the dessert it will serve at its annual conference with 800 of the city’s most influential residents.

In January, Just Bakery — a nonprofit vocational program of Madison-area Urban Ministry — announced on its Facebook page that the business group had abruptly ended discussions with the bakery about it providing $4,000 worth of brownies for the chamber’s Icebreaker 2020 event on April 17. Just Bakery offers a 12-week training program and other services to people looking for employment after being incarcerated.

Linda Ketcham, the executive director of Madison-area Urban Ministry, says Just Bakery was informed via email that her group’s opposition to F-35s was the reason the chamber wouldn’t be doing business with Just Bakery.

“They had just finalized which dessert they wanted to purchase from us and what the price point would be,” Ketcham tells Isthmus. “We were waiting to hear back after this staff person got a final approval from her team. Then we got an email.”

Ketcham provided the Jan. 13 email to Isthmus on the condition the name of the staffer who sent it wasn’t made public.

“After communicating with my team, it was brought to our attention about Just Bakery’s connection with [Madison-area Urban Ministry.] Given [the group’s] stance on the F-35s we don’t want to put you in an uncomfortable position where you have to compromise your brand, nor do we not want to stay true to the Chamber’s goals and initiatives,” states the email. “For this reason, we hope you understand our decision to proceed with a different route for our dessert vendor for our event.”

Zach Brandon, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Isthmus asked Eric Greenfield, the chamber’s communication manager, if Just Bakery’s accusation was accurate.

“Not true,” Greenfield responded in a Jan. 22 email without further comment. After several emails and phone calls inquiring what exactly was “not true,” Greenfield finally elaborated.

“No order was placed, so no order was canceled. There was no proposal. There was no commitment or promise made in any way,” wrote Greenfield on Jan. 31. “We will always prioritize working with chamber members. [Just Bakery] are not members.”

Ketcham says it’s true no contract was signed. But she contends the chamber initially contacted her group and its opposition to the fighter jets was the only reason the chamber provided for changing course on the brownie order.

“Their explanation to us was that it was because of F-35s. I don’t know what else to say except that’s what they told us,” says Ketcham. “It made us wonder if they have this litmus test for all their vendors.”

In 2017, the chamber launched the website togethertruax.com and social media accounts as part of a campaign to persuade the U.S. Air Force to select Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th fighter wing for an F-35 mission. The new aircraft would replace the guard’s aging fleet of F-16 jets and ensure the base has a fighter wing mission for decades. A final decision on whether Madison will be selected is expected soon.

In October, Ald. Rebecca Kemble and state Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) went on a fact-finding mission to Burlington, Vermont — the first National Guard base to receive the F-35 jets. Both elected officials have been critical of the beddown since the Air Force released an environmental impact statement in August 2019 that found that over 1,000 homes in Madison would be “incompatible for residential use” due to noise produced by the aircraft.

Kemble says the decision to back out of the dessert deal reveals the chamber’s “priority for out-of-state weapons manufacturers over community and local job creation.”

Taylor calls the chamber’s decision “petty.”

“It is very disappointing, but not surprising, to see the biggest business group in our area try to intimidate those they disagree with. These are people of color, these are women, who have faced a lot of discrimination in the workforce that they are hurting,” says Taylor. “This is how the corporate power structure gets people to shut up.”

Ketcham says Madison-area Urban Ministry opposes F-35s because of the organization’s “47 years of advocacy on housing and homelessness issues.” She doesn’t see the nonprofit’s stance as a conflict for its Just Bakery program.

“To be honest, it never even occurred to us. We do business with lots of members of the chamber,” says Ketcham. “We would never say that because the chamber supports F-35s, we won’t do business with them. We would rather have conversations.”