Downtown Barrie (BIA) Board of Management: 2020 By-Election Statement

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

BIA BY-ELECTION STATEMENT TO OUR MEMBERSHIP

At Last Meeting, BIA Staff, Board & Members Present Unified On Next Steps

As a result of a complaint received regarding the recent Downtown Barrie BIA Board of Directors by-election process and results, the current Board has reviewed the process and results with the assistance of BIA staff as well as advice provided by legal counsel.

At a special Board meeting on Friday, February 14th, the Board opened up the floor for discussion with Board Members Elect and members of the public. It was discussed that during the by-election, some candidates asked for clarification on proxy voting and were told the process was acceptable by By-Election Committee staff. Because of this, at the February 14th meeting, the Board agreed with the Members Elect to seek further counsel to clarify whether proper procedures were followed. The Board believes all candidates acted in good faith with the information and clarification provided. 

The Board's focus is to have a fair and transparent election process that our membership can trust. People need to have faith in elections and the results either way should never be in question. We are confident that along with our new Executive Director, Kelly McKenna we can correct any issues with the election process and the Downtown Barrie BIA Constitution going forward.

On Tuesday, March 3rd, the current Board will meet to discuss its next steps. For transparency and openness, the Memorandum provided by legal counsel along with voting data will be made public.

Overall, we are committed to moving ahead with our mandate to serve our members and improve our downtown focused on making it a safe, vibrant and beautiful place.

Click here to review the legal memorandum.

Click here to review the 2020 results and data (will follow shortly).