As CTV News first reported on Monday, a petition is being circulated calling for an overhaul of leadership at the London Downtown Business Association, which has prompted the chair of the LDBA board to issue a response calling for cooler heads to prevail.
A copy of the petition, obtained by CTV News, calls for a comprehensive review of the LDBA and its CEO/General Manager, a position held for the last 16 years by Janette MacDonald.
The petition also asks for a demonstrative change in management, philosophy and future financial planning.
Board Chair Gerald Gallacher says, “We're disappointed that this has happened in this way. But, at the end of the day, they're still our members and we're here for them."
Gallacher says he says he first heard of the petition in a letter from lawyer Michael Lerner who was acting on behalf of anonymous group of association members, an approach similar to the ‘Stop BRT” campaign run prior to the municipal election.
"We have not seen a petition with signatures on it, as of yet."
Contacted Thursday afternoon, Lerner was out of town but directed us to two business owners; Mike Smith of Joe Kool's on Richmond Row, and David White of David E. White Clothier. Smith was unavailable for comment and White declined to speak citing the sensitivity of the issue.
The petition says the LDBA hasn't advocated strongly enough on behalf of business owners when it comes to issues like food trucks, BRT, policing and safe injection sites.
Gallacher insists, "We're here for them. We'd like to talk and collaborate and listen. If they've got concerns we would like them to come forward and talk to us.”
MacDonald is currently on vacation and was not available for comment but Gallacher says she is respected internationally for the work she's done in London.
The LDBA's annual general meeting is scheduled for January 22nd.
