UPDATE: At their Feb. 3 general committee meeting, council members gave initial approval to the new BIA members without any further discussion. The matter still requires ratification at the Feb. 10 city council meeting.
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The votes are in and six new members of the Downtown Barrie BIA board are ready to get down to business.
Although, to current board members, some of those faces will be familiar.
The final unofficial results of the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) board of management byelection were revealed Friday night, with Daniela Fuda, Rob Hamilton, Colin Hassey, Jason Ing, Paul Lynch and Cait Patrick chosen to fill out the board. Hamilton, a local businessman, was the city's mayor from 2003 until 2006.
The unofficial results still need to be confirmed and ratified by Barrie city council.
The byelection was necessary following the resignation of six people from the Downtown Barrie BIA board within a span of only a few days back in the fall.
Denise Tucker (chair), Tom Ambeau (vice-chair), Jason Ing and Paul Lynch all signed a joint letter announcing their resignation from the BIA board in October, shortly after Wayne Hay and Tracey Baker also indicated they were stepping down.
In their joint resignation letter, Tucker, Ambeau, Ing and Lynch said, "we feel we are unable to represent (the) best business interests of our members in the current environment."
Ing, owner of Nutrition Plus, and Lynch, a local realtor, did not respond to a request for comment from BarrieToday by publication time on why they chose to run again after stepping down.
“I hope (the new members) bring their amazing perspective, experiences and energy,” said Coun. Sergio Morales, city council's appointee on the board. “It was a high-engagement election.”
None of the newly elected members responded to a request for comment from BarrieToday over the weekend after the unofficial results were announced.
It's been a tumultuous few months for the Downtown BIA.
Following the October resignations, city council also removed its representatives, Couns. Clare Riepma and Keenan Aylwin, from the BIA board on Oct. 28. Coun. Morales was appointed to the board as the city's representative.
The Downtown BIA is also in the midst of choosing a new executive director after the resignation of Craig Stevens in November to take a job with the RVH Foundation.
Morales said the board received more than 50 applications for that position.
“That should be a clear indication to anybody that while we’ve had growing pains over the last couple of months, the Downtown BIA brand is still stronger than ever,” he said.
Morales said the new executive director could be announced as soon as Jan. 31, pending a few interviews scheduled for the beginning of this week, final reference checks and contracts.
Working in partnership with the city, the BIA's focus is to keep the downtown vibrant for property owners, merchants, residents and visitors, and to co-ordinate both short and long-term goals.
