The former Chair of the Belleville Downtown Business Improvement Area has resigned from the Board of Directors.
Dwane Barratt announced his intention to resign in a letter sent to board members and others.
The letter can be seen below.
It is with a heavy heart that after more than 8 years, I will be resigning from my position as board member on the BDIA, effective immediately. I first joined the BDIA in 2012 to support efforts of making the downtown core a more vibrant and welcoming place for the businesses and its patrons. However, over the past several months, there have been some differences of opinion between the Chair person and myself, causing me to reassess my position on the board. Despite these differences, I feel privileged to have served this community, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds.
I would like to thank the current and former BDIA staff for their dedication to the organization over the years. Thank you to the current and past board members who have freely given their time to making the downtown core a more attractive place for local businesses and residents alike. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the councilors and staff at City Hall, with a special shout out to Rowland Cave-Browne-Cave from Parks and Open Spaces and Joe Reid from Public Works for being ready to help out when needed. Finally, I would like to thank all of my fellow downtown business owners for your support over the years, and I wish you all the best! Working together, we can make downtown Belleville the thriving centre of our community.
To quote Dr. Seuss: “ Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
Meanwhile Barratt’s business Barratt’s Office Pro has expanded into downtown Brighton and Barratt says he was asked to join the Brighton BIA and is looking forward to serving on its board of directors.
