By Phil Corso
The time is nearing for those who have asked for some new bodies on the board.
The much-anticipated Bayside Village Business Improvement District annual meeting has been set for the middle of July and will include the election of a board of directors.
According to BID Executive Director Lyle Sclair, anyone interested in voting in the election must be a registered member of the BID and is welcome to attend the annual meeting, scheduled for July 16 at 6 p.m. inside Redeemer Lutheran Church, at 36-01 Bell Blvd. Anyone who wants to run for the board must be included in a slate of candidates and needs to contact the BID’s nominating committee no later than July 2.
After July 2, no additional nominations will be accepted, the BID said.
According to Sclair, the BID’s bylaws require that each slate running for election must include at least seven landlords, one commercial tenant and one residential tenant and must all be BID members.
Last month, former Executive Director Gregg Sullivan said he was interested in assembling his own slate to be considered in the board’s annual election. Throughout recent months, Sullivan attended several Bayside business and property owners summits alongside current BID members to help formulate the group’s direction moving forward.
Sclair, who was appointed to his position in April, said he was keeping himself available to direct anyone interested in running to the appropriate channels.
“If anyone asks me for general rules about how to run or who to talk to, I’ll step in,” Sclair said when discussing his role in the process.
Sullivan said he was working with several Bayside business and property owners to assemble his own slate for the election, including Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse CEO William Degel.
“I’d like to see brand-new blood from the top to the bottom,” Sullivan said last month. “With that would come new officers and some new ideas.”
The Bayside BID encompasses businesses and property owners along Bell Boulevard between Northern Boulevard and 35th Avenue and along 41st Avenue between 213th Street and 214th Place.
At the same time, Sullivan also expressed his support for the BID’s new executive director, saying in a statement he distributed throughout town that Sclair’s appointment was another reason BID stakeholders had renewed reasons for optimism.
Current BID Chairman Jim Riso said although he would not seek re-election for his current position, he still hoped to remain active on the board if elected. Riso had also said the BID’s board needed a breath of fresh air.
“I will let the process play itself out,” Riso said in a statement.
Sclair said the annual meeting will be a great opportunity for BID members and Bayside residents to discuss the future, the group’s current financial standing and BID accomplishments achieved since last year’s meeting.
Anyone interested in running in the BID’s annual board election can email slate@baysidevillagebid.com or contact the BID directly at 718-423-2434 before July 2.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
