JAY — Chris Jackson, who will represent both the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Economic Research Institute, will be the guest speaker on Friday, Oct. 1, at the Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting at LaFleur’s Restaurant.

The public is invited to attend the breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. People planning to attend are asked to call the Chamber office at 897-6755 by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29.

Jackson will discuss the organizations he represents and what they offer both the business community and the public as Election Day draws near.

The State Chamber hired Jackson of Bowdoinham as a senior governmental affairs specialist in 2009.

Jackson is a member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s team of lobbyists at the State House to help ensure that the interests of Maine’s business community are represented, according to local Chamber’s news release.

Jackson most recently served as the vice president for governmental affairs for the Maine Oil Dealers Association, where he represented the Association’s membership before the Maine Legislature and various state regulatory entities. He has also served as a public relations consultant and a special assistant for the Maine Senate president, focusing on public policy and public relations, the release states.

Jackson, administrator of the Maine Economic Research Institute, is part of a new affiliation between that group and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce that includes many of the state’s other leading business and industry trade groups.

Collectively, the Institute’s new partners help it identify legislative proposals that affect the business community. These bills were included in the annual Roll Call Report, which covers the voting records of each member of the Legislature. Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, said that the Institute’s work is more important now than ever.

“Nearly everybody running for public office claims that they support the business community and that economic development is a priority,” he said in the release. “MERI provides the non-partisan data that helps determine whether the words of our elected officials match their actions.”