Nanaimo association failed in its job

Re: “Downtown Nanaimo needs its improvement association back,” comment, Sept. 30. David Witty fails to understand how a business improvement association is supposed to work. It is not here to support and sponsor architects’ associations. The BIA is not an ivory tower, but a vehicle for businesses within the area.

Safety is one of the four pillars, and the safety committee met only once in 21⁄2 years. The old story of doing nothing while Rome was burning, while Nanaimo’s downtown fell further.

No other BIA in the province gets matching funds. Almost every other BIA has one staffer, the DNBIA ivory tower had five at times, building an empire instead of a grassroots organization.

Witty, an employee of the university, fails to declare his prejudice on the subject. It was the university’s own foundation that was the beneficiary of the favour of the DNBIA’s dubious method of disposing of assets.

Maybe Witty should have attended the final meeting when the DNBIA itself asked to be dissolved and a resounding 60 per cent of merchants voted to have it dissolved. He would have also witnessed how members of the board attempted to block the proxy voters.

Maybe Witty can find out from an old member of the board where the monies went, a list of the assets and who was the beneficiary, instead of assets being properly liquidated at auction and the money returned to the merchants.

The DNBIA stank of corruption, nepotism and favouritism. Certainly Witty is not that naïve.

Tim McGrath Nanaimo