BY all accounts this year’s Griffith Business Chamber’s packed AGM could not have been more different than last year’s, where only nine people showed up.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But democracy was in action on Thursday night as an estimated 80 representatives of Griffith’s business community turned out in force to vote in the new chamber executive.
The atmosphere was tense and the room was full.
Nominations for positions on the chamber were made in advance with veteran Paul Pierotti up against Paul Pearsall for the position of president. Pierotti was voted in 29 votes to 39.
Pearsall again nominated for vice president along with Paul Snaidero, Patt Pittavino and Greg Lawrence.
There was some tense debate about Mr Lawrence’s nomination as he was not present at the meeting.
Returning officer John Wadsworth’s suggestion a show of hands decide whether the nomination stand was met with outrage with the crowd saying chamber needed to not exclude anyone who was duly nominated and entitled to stand.
Despite this Snaidero and Pittavino were voted in as vice presidents each with 37 votes, however Pearsall and Lawrence were not far behind in what appeared to be an attempt to have new ideas on chamber moving forward.
Julia Puntoriero, Paula Johns, Kate Lucantonio, Denis Conroy, Andy Armstrong and Martin Ruggeri were all elected as committee members.
Pierotti said he was pleased with the outcome of the meeting and to be have been elected to lead in what he termed as an often ‘thankless’ volunteer job.
“To me it looks to be an outcome of balance of experience with some new energy,” he said.
“Hopefully this new energy will start taking up the reins of the higher positions going forward.
“Mostly officer positions are usually driven by people who have experience in the organisation and a number of the nominations came from new members who have not attended meetings or been on executives or boards and we very much welcome that.”
He said moving forward he was hopeful for healthy debate within the chamber. “I think that people sometimes have opinions on things until they learn the details and then they may form another opinion,” he said.
“A balance of voices across the community helps make a balanced outcome ...”
