Businessman calls for new OBA committee2 min read
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An Onehunga businessman launched a petition calling for a Special General Meeting to appoint a new executive committee for the Onehunga Business Association.
Jitu Patel has owned a business since 2002, and says the town centre needs a fully functioning committee that can make decisions in the best interest of local businesses.
The petition follows the reduction of the Business Improvement District (BID) boundary on 1st July, which now covers only the town centre.
Five current executive committee members, however, have businesses outside the BID area and questions have been raised about their ongoing eligibility to remain on the committee.
“It’s like having people on the Auckland Council running the Hamilton District Council,” says Jitu.
“When the BID boundary was reduced, we should have had an SGM immediately, and a new committee should have been appointed.”
Jitu started the petition and 38 signatures were collected, but only 17 signatures are required for the petition to meet the requirements for an SGM. The petition was sent to the OBA executive committee, the local board and Auckland Council’s BID team in mid-July.
The chair of the OBA, Mark Jorey, says, “the request received was improper and incorrect,” and that none of the signatures “so far” belonged to full members, so the petition did not meet the requirements to hold an SGM. He did not comment about the reason why all the signatures were invalid. The editor of the Onehunga Community News recognised most of the names on the list, and they were all members of the OBA.
Although an SGM could be held as early as 14 days from receiving the petition, it must be held within two months. Mark says the two-month period was very close to the AGM date in October.
Jitu also questioned the decision by the OBA to grant $30,000 to the East West Link Development Society, a lobby group formed to oppose the proposed East West Link route.
“Why did they make a decision to give money to a group that no one knows about or has heard of?” he asks.
He is concerned about the process used by the committee to address questions about members’ eligibility following the BID boundary change.
“Members resigning and then reappointing themselves raises a red flag,” he says. “I believe it is morally and ethically wrong
