Dismayed that innkeeper John Posadas has acquired rights to the name "Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce," a dozen town merchants met Tuesday to discuss how to respond.

Gallery owner Claudia Chapline, who helped organize the meeting in the town community center, said, "The consensus of merchants and the B&B people is that they didn't want John to continue to do this. He said he will."

All the same, the group agreed to use the community center itself to promote activities in town and told Laurence Kirsch, president of the West Marin Chamber of Commerce, how his group could better serve them.

Kirsch two weeks ago filed 13 fictitious business names with the county, giving the West Marin Chamber the sole right to use "Chamber of Commerce" names ranging from the Bolinas Chamber of Commerce to the Tomales Chamber of Commerce.

Kirsch even filed for the rights to Stinson Chamber of Commerce, as opposed to Posadas' Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce.

B&B owners at the meeting, Chapline noted, "felt [Posadas has] a definite conflict of interest" since as someone fielding calls made to a "chamber," he is in a position to steer tourists to his inn.

Posadas, who showed up in a wheelchair because of a leg infection, noted that many Stinson Beach merchants did not attend the meeting and blamed the controversy on "a coterie of individuals."

Two restaurateurs that are among Posadas' critics this past week said they are skeptical of his account of the Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce's origins. Posadas has said a group of musicians staying at his B&B last summer took the name Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Because the now-departed musicians were using his inn's phone number, Posadas said, he now gets inquiries from those planning to visit Stinson Beach. As a result, he now provides typical chamber of commerce information.

However, the critics are skeptical the band ever existed and suggest Posadas' account may be merely a ruse. Posadas on Wednesday responded the musicians were merely a "rave band," which is why they're unknown.

Posadas has been a controversial merchant in Stinson Beach since 1991 when he began rebuilding his inn, which had been badly damaged by a fire in 1987. Neighbors and Fire Chief Kendrick Rand complained at the time that junked cars and building materials on the property were creating a fire hazard.

Posadas is open about having been convicted in the past of assaulting a transient on his property - although he notes the victim was himself wanted on a no-bail warrant out of New Jersey. And he admits to salvaging building materials from recycler Joe Garbarino's dumpsters, which got him convicted of stealing recyclables.

Regardless of how various merchants view him, Posadas is clearly having a rough time because of the Chamber of Commerce flap.

After the West Marin Chamber became aware Posadas was calling his operation the Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce, president Kirsch asked sheriff's deputies to investigate.

Sheriff's Lt. Jim Riddell this week said he had deputy Rich Todt question Posadas about the name. He also asked the district attorney's Consumer Protection Unit to investigate, and the DA's office checked with the state Chamber of Commerce.

The DA's staff learned no one has a copyright on the name "chamber of commerce," and since Posadas was not accused of fraud, authorities concluded nothing unlawful was occurring, the lieutenant said.

While the investigation was going on, deputy Rich Sheldon was on vacation and unaware the matter had been resolved, Riddell added. Deputy Sheldon returned to work Sunday and later that day showed up at Posadas' inn to question him about the chamber name. As it happened, the innkeeper and friends were at the time preparing for his 50th birthday party.

Not knowing about the mixup and feeling harassed, Posadas was alternately indignant and distraught during an interview this week as he described the deputy's putting a damper on his birthday party.

In the midst of all this, the volatile innkeeper's health has been suffering. A year ago, Posadas acknowledged, he was diagnosed as manic depressive and has begun receiving treatment.

He was supposed to be operated on this week because his body overproduces adrenaline, but the surgery had to be canceled when he developed a leg infection.

Tuesday night, as Posadas endeavored to leave the merchants' meeting in his wheelchair, a wheel caught on a bump in the doorway, and he was spilled onto the ground. For him, the gathering ended with being lifted back into his wheelchair by his critics.