The Chamber said the event, originally scheduled for January 22, was postponed following a surge in COVID cases that made it impossible for many local attractions to participate.

The six-week delay is expected to provide the time needed for some of the smaller venues to more safely invite groups of guests. Some of the attractions will require pre-registration. A full list of participating attractions will be announced shortly.

The Doors Open Jamestown event offers a free day at local museums and attractions.

The Chamber said in a release that they made the decision after consulting local attractions and officials. They said they hope to hold the event later this winter.

“Doors Open” is a free admissions day at local museums and attractions in the Greater Jamestown area.

The Jamestown Chamber of Commerce held an events meeting to discuss upcoming activities downtown and the question was raised whether there will be a parade this year.

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dan Heitzenrater said he spoke with Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist recently about that event, “He mentioned that the City was kind of looking at some potential organizations that could be sort of headline, you know, sort of sponsor and help with some of the organization as well. So, as far as I’m aware, kind of in holding pattern.”

The parade had previously been organized by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation. JRC Executive Director Frank Besse said that JRC is out of the event business but is willing to share information, “You know it’s one of those events we have a lot of information here so if someone is interested in picking up the baton let me, but we’re not in a position to be organizing events so we want to play a supportive role as well along with the Chamber.”

The Chamber had partnered with the City last December to help organize a reverse parade down Third Street as a way to have an event with the gathering limitations in place due to the pandemic at the time.

Mayor Sundquist said organizations who are interested in helping organize a Christmas Parade are welcome to contact his office at (716) 483-7600.

The JLDC board of directors held its first meeting of the new year and as part of new business the panel unanimously approved two resolutions that would provide $50,000 in grant funding to the National Comedy Center for an additional event at the Northwest Arena during the 2019 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in August.

In addition, the board approved a resolution that would give $50,000 in grant funding to the Jamestown High School Marching Band, along with an upfront $25,000 loan for a major fundraising event on Friday, July 19 at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts. The Marching band is hoping to generate a net profit of $15,000 from the event.

The funding would come from city’s Downtown Programming Fund.

City Development Director and JLDC Executive Director Vince DeJoy said the funding for the Marching Band event would be used to cover various costs associated with the event.

The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts will be the location for a special fundraiser for the Jamestown High School Marching band on July 19, 2019 featuring a “significant name and talent” according to organizers who are unable to disclose more specifics until contracts are signed. Funding for the event is made possible, in part, to the city’s Downtown Programming Fund.

“The total expenses for this program, including talent, travel, hospitality, production costs, stage, lights, marketing, etc. is $119,000. It’s a very significant name and talent that the Marching Band is hoping to bring to the Reg,” DeJoy said.

Because contracts still have to be signed for the entertainment that will be participating in both events, specific details of what the events would entail were not disclosed and would be released at a later date.

Also, while the JLDC board approved the funding allocations, the resolutions must also be reviewed by the state and approved in order to be finalized. That’s because the grant money comes from a $600,000 pool of money from the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative Grant the city received in 2017.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, who serves as the president of the JLDC board, also provided a reminder of what the event program funding can be used for.

“This program is intended not to fund existing events and activities that are already underway. We’re not here to pay for somebody else’s sponsorship or subsidy, but to deal with brand new events that otherwise wouldn’t occur. Or in the case of an existing event like the annual Lucy Fest that’s operated by the Comedy Center where there is a significant and quantifiable increase and expansion in an existing event, and that’s what’s happening with the NCC event,” Teresi explained.

The JLDC also reminds the community that additional funding remains available for anyone wishing to put on a major event in the downtown area of the city and needs support to do so.

In other news from the meeting, the JLDC board approved a unanimous consent resolution that was signed in late 2018 involving changes to the terms of a $180,000 JLDC loan for the Jamestown Brewing Company.

That loan was one of several loans and funding sources the business owners – father-son duo John McLellan Sr. and John McLellan Jr. from Buffalo – requested in 2017 in order to get their operation off the ground. However, delays in the renovation effort of the building where the business will be located forced a delay in the opening. As a result of the delay, all lending sources – both public and private –  made an effort to restructure their respective loans to accommodate the McLellans and ensure they have enough startup capital for its opening, now planned for March 2019.

Because the JLDC loan exceeded $100,000, the changes had to also be approved by the Jamestown City Council – which it did by a vote of 8 to 1 during its October 2018 meeting.

And the JLDC board also welcomed two new members. Vicki McGraw will be the representative of the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce, taking over for Russ Diethrick. And Chris Sellstrom will be the representative for the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, taking over for John Whitaker.  The JLDC  bylaws state that a representative from those two organizations, along with the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier, must have a seat on the board.

During Monday night’s city council work session, Liuzzo said he would like to see the bylaws changed in order to transfer the power of appointment for three of the JLDC board’s nine seats back to their respective agencies, rather than having the mayor make the appointments.

Under the new JLDC bylaws approved by the JLDC board in late 2017, the mayor of Jamestown is to appoint representatives for the Manufacturers Association, Jamestown Chamber, and Jamestown Renaissance Corporation when the president of each respective organization is unable to serve due to not being a city resident or for any other reason. Under the original JLDC bylaws, each organization was allowed to select its own representative when its president was unable to serve.

The previous JLDC bylaws also stated that any amendments would have to be approved by the city council.  However, the new bylaws no longer carry that requirement.  Councilman Tony Dolce (R-Ward 2) on Monday night pointed this out, saying the council may not even have the ability to consider Liuzzo’s proposal. It would instead have to be taken up by the JLDC board.

• Original 1981 JLDC Bylaws [PDF]
• Updated 2017 JLDC Bylaws [PDF]

Mayor Teresi said he’ll ask the city attorney and city clerk to research the matter and return with a report next week.

It’s worth noting that there are three council members (Dolce, Council President Marie Carrubba, and council woman Kim Ecklund) who each serve on the JLDC board, along with Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi. So even if the city council couldn’t amend the JLDC bylaws, it could make a motion to request any of those four individuals introduce the amendment at the next JLDC board meeting, where it could then be voted on by those members.

JAMESTOWN (Jan. 26, 2018) – The mayor of Jamestown now has more power when it comes to making appointments to the Jamestown Local Development Corporation’s (JLDC) board of directors.

The JLDC was established in 1981 to serve as the not-for-profit lending agency of the city, in order to provide low interest loans to help spur economic development. The JLDC was originally set up to include a board of directors, that would authorize loans while also providing oversight of the organization. As part of its establishment, the JLDC was required to follow a set of bylaws to serve as a guide for governance and regulation of its affairs.

In 2016 and 2017 the Jamestown City Council approved three separate resolutions related to updating the JLDC bylaws. Action was taken during the June 2016 council voting session, the April 2017 council voting session, and the August 2017 council voting session. In all three instances the council voted unanimously in support of the resolutions.

• Original 1981 JLDC Bylaws [PDF]
• Updated 2017 JLDC Bylaws [PDF]

At the time of each vote, the action received little to no attention by the media or public in general. The proposed updates were also not discussed in any council committee meeting or work session prior to action. In fact, during each respective voting session the resolutions were introduced as “new business,” meaning there was no advanced public notice that they were going to come before the council. Also, when it finally came time for the council to vote on the updates, they were mainly described as a “procedural update” that involved “minor revisions” or “clean up language.”

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi did discuss the proposed changes during a 2016 JLDC meeting, saying that the proposed updates were the result of recommendations from legal counsel.

“Several months ago it was advised by Corporation Council and City Bond Council that the by-laws and certificate of incorporation be reviewed. Everything is in good order, but there was recommendation that some of the language be updated,” The minutes report the mayor saying during the JLDC’s October 2016 meeting. “City Council authorized submission of updates to the Department of State. When received back, the Board will be updated and provided with copies of updated by-laws and certificate of incorporation.”

However, earlier this month the revised JLDC bylaws were posted on the city website and they show the changes involved more than just minor revisions and clean up language.  Not only do the changes account for the possession of assets (likely in anticipation of a proposal to have the JLDC purchase the city Wastewater Treatment Plant), but some also involve transferring the power of appointment for three of the nine JLDC board seats.

MAST, Jamestown Chamber, JRC Presidents Can No Longer Appoint Their Own Representatives

Under both the original and revised JLDC bylaws, three JLDC board seats are to be filled by the presidents of the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturer’s Association of the Jamestown Area (today the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier, or MAST), and Downtown Jamestown Business Association (today the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, or JRC).

The original bylaws also stated that if the president for each of those respective organization was unable to serve on the board (because they are not a resident of the city, for example), he/she would then have to appoint a qualified member from his/her organization to serve. But under the recently revised bylaws, that appointment power was removed from each of the three respective presidents and given to the mayor:

(Editors Note: WORDS CROSSED OUT are removed text from the original 1981 by-laws. WORDS IN RED are added text from the revised 2017 by-laws)

“Every Each Director shall be a resident of the City of Jamestown. In the event a Director, to be seated by virtue of office or title, is not a resident of the City of Jamestown, he shall appoint a member from his organization to serve on the Board of Directors, said appointee shall reside in the city of Jamestown or chooses not to serve on said Board, the Mayor of the City of Jamestown shall appoint an official from said organization, who resides in the City of Jamestown to serve on the Board of Directors.”

Another change in appointment power deals with how vacancies will be filled, giving that power solely to the mayor.  The original bylaws stated:

“Any vacancy on the Board of Directors arising at any time and from any cause, including an increase in the number of Directors by amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation or the By-Laws, may be filled within ninety days at any meeting of the Board of Directors by a majority of remaining Directors or the Directors then in office, as the case may be, or thereafter, by members at a special meeting of members called for the purpose.”

The revised bylaws state:

“Any vacancy on the Board of Directors arising at any time and from any cause, including an increase in the number of Directors by amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation and the By-Laws, may be filled within ninety days by the Mayor of the City of Jamestown.”

Yet another change was the addition that tthe city council president would serve as Vice President of the JLDC board.

• REVIEW ALL REVISIONS TO JLDC BYLAWS [PDF]

MAST President Disappointed with Changes to the Bylaws

Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers’ Association president Todd Tranum

Among those critical in the changes to the bylaws is Todd Tranum, president of MAST.

Tranum is precluded from serving on the JLDC Board because he is not a resident of Jamestown. Under the original JLDC bylaws, he would have the ability to select who serves in his place.

When the MAST seat on the JLDC board was vacated by Justin Hanft in mid 2017 because he moved out of the city, Tranum wanted to appoint former BPU chair John Zabrodsky to the seat and he tells WRFA he informed the Department of Development of his decision in May 2017.  However, that appointment wasn’t acted on when the JLDC held its next meeting in December 2017. Instead, according to the Post-Journal, the JLDC acted on accepting the new bylaws.

The revised JLDC bylaws were finally reviewed and authorized by the state at the end of 2017. As a result, Mayor Sam Teresi – using his new power of appointment for that seat – appointed JCC development director Tim Smeal to the board as part of his slate of 2018 appointments. Those appointments were all approved by the city council, 8 to 1, during its Inaugural Meeting on Jan. 8.

“This is a continuation of Mayor Teresi’s and (Department of Development) Director Vince DeJoy’s attempts to limit the voice and input of the business community,” Tranum said in an email to The Post-Journal in December following the JLDC meeting, and also reiterated to WRFA. “The mayor and the director of development’s methods are not business friendly, inspire distrust and undermine efforts to improve the local economy. The business community will not be silenced.”

When WRFA spoke with Mayor Teresi about the bylaw changes, he said they were done to reflect what had already been taking place in practice and pointed out they were the culmination of a year-and-a-half long process. While it’s evident the bylaw updates were approved by the council in three separate public votes, it’s also worth noting there appears to be no actual public discussion or detailed explanation of what specifically was being changed before voting actually took place.

EDITORS NOTE [Jan. 28, 2018]: A previous version of this story erroneously reported the original JLDC bylaws had no language in place regarding who would serve as president. This is incorrect. The language regarding the Mayor being elected as President of the JLDC board, was listed in another area of the 1981 bylaws (Article IV).

TIMELINE OF JLDC BYLAW CHANGES

As noted above, it appears that none of the changes in the bylaws were publicly reviewed and discussed by the city council prior to their action. A timeline of the related action, along with comments from city officials, is outlined as follows:

June 2016 – City Council Voting Session

On the Oct. 15 presentation of Community Matters, WRFA public affairs director Jason Sample talks with Jason Toczydlowski from the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce to get more details about Restaurant Week 2015. Also featured in the interview is Sean Jones from Valhalla Restaurant and Judy Sandson from the Harvest Cafe… both located in Jamestown, NY.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

37 restaurants from all over Chautauqua County are participating in Restaurant Week.  All are members of the Chamber of Commerce and have worked to provide some special offerings for patrons during the event. Here is a list of participating restaurants by community:

• Ashville:  Ashville General Store
• Bemus Point:  Coppola’s Pizzaria
• Celoron:  Main Landing Restaurant
• Dunkirk:  Windjammer’s at the Clarion Hotel, Fireside Manor, Jenna’s 4th Street Café, Pizza Hut, Pizza Village
• Dewittville:  Village Restaurant
• Falconer:  Belle-View East
• Fredonia:  Domus Fare, Fred’s Food Service, Squire’s Table at the White Inn
• Greenhurst:  Coach’s Chatterbox, Steener’s Pub
• Irving:  Colony Seafood & Steakhouse, Tom’s Family Restaurant
• Jamestown:  Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge, Brick City Market, Forte, Fresco Pizza &
• Wings, Gialy’s Restaurant, Harvest Time Café, Havana Cuban Café, Jones Valhalla, Landmark Restaurant, Pizza Hut, Shawbucks Press Room
• Lakewood:  Southern Tier Brewing Company
• Mayville:  Andriaccio’s Family Restaurant, Chautauqua Harbor House, J & B Mayville Diner, Lakeview Hotel and The Docks, Olive’s at Chautauqua Suites, Webb’s Captain’s Table
• Westfield:  Jimmy’s Pizza, Parkview Café

Restaurant Week 2015 is sponsored by CHQ Local Food, Sam’s Club and the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.  It runs from October 19-25.  Residents are being encouraged to go to at least 3 different restaurants this week to show their support.

You can learn more at www.CHQRestWeek.com or follow CHQ Restaurant Week on Facebook and Twitter.