2021 Board Candidates and Voting Information
The Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 6 pm via Zoom.
To register for the meeting please CLICK HERE
If you are a BID member and did not receive a ballot in the mail, please download the ballot by CLICKING HERE.
(note: ballots have been mailed)
For Voting Instructions and Annual Meeting Information in English, CLICK HERE.
Para instrucciones de votación e información de la reunión anual en español, HAGA CLIC AQUÍ.
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2021 CANDIDATES FOR PEEKSKILL BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Class A Property Owners (Vote for three)
DREW CLAXTON
Class A Property Owner
201 South Division Street, Peekskill, NY
Drew Claxton is the CEO/sole shareholder of Annie Owens Holding Corp., which owns 201 S. Division Street, Peekskill, NY. The building is currently occupied by two residential tenants, and two commercial tenants – the BeanRunner Café and the Third Eye Studio.
Ms. Claxton has lived in Peekskill for most of her life and truly believes in its amazing potential. Because she was interested in historic preservation and historic building, and her husband, Ted Bitter, were both interested in boutique cafes and live music, they invested their life savings to convert an empty and boarded up hairnet factory into one of the cornerstone buildings and businesses in downtown.
She has dedicated much of her life to public service, and now having retired from both her professional career and the Peekskill Common Council, would like to focus on the full revitalization of the downtown BID District.
Claxton has thirty years’ experience in economic research and database development and is an expert in managing large data-intensive projects, statistical analysis, and survey research and design.
At NERA, Ms. Claxton worked in the areas of mass tort litigation, consumer class actions, securities, labor, and public sector disparity studies. In mass tort litigation, Ms. Claxton has forecasted claims relating to prospective mass tort litigation involving asbestos, hardboard siding, and analyzed liabilities associated with alleged exposure to lead-based paint.
She has analyzed proof of claims and brokerage and trading data in connection with both securities class action lawsuits and regulatory investigations of mutual fund trading. In addition, she has calculated compensation to investors in mutual funds affected by market timing. Ms. Claxton has also been a principal investigator in wage and hour cases and was the Associate Project Director on 11 public sector disparity studies, including studies for the States of Texas and Maryland.
Before joining NERA, Ms. Claxton was the Senior Staff Associate for the Center for Human Resource Management Studies and the Industrial Relations Research Center at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, where she was responsible for the management of research projects and the development and maintenance of research databases. She prepared statistics for numerous reports, including Human Resource Policies and Practices and the Performance of American Firms, published by the US Department of Labor.
LAFERN JOSEPH (INCUMBENT)
Class A Property Owner
13 South Division Steet, Peekskill, NY 10566
Lafern Joseph is a prominent business owner and downtown Peekskill property owner. She is the proprietor of The Fern Tree African Gift Shop, next to the chamber of commerce, and has been on the Peekskill BID Board of Directors for two years, serving as Board Secretary.
Since joining the Board, Ms. Joseph has been at the forefront of the BID’s efforts in bringing the Harriet Tubman Statue to Peekskill and has been instrumental in planning a series of virtual events to celebrate Black History Month. She also helped to formulate the BID’s Statement on Racism, Race Relations, and Racial Equality.
In addition to being a successful business owner, Ms. Joseph is a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) with a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Brooklyn College.
Her professional experience includes:
1997-Present: Sisters In Support, Inc.-Founder/Chairperson
2001-2014: Catholic Charities Community Services-Senior Substance Abuse Counselor
2000-2006: St. John’s Riverside Hospital-Substance Abuse Counselor
1990-1998: Westchester County Dept. of Corrections-Substance Abuse Counselor
Her professional and community affiliations include being a member of the Smithsonian Institute; Board Member, Westchester Women’s Advisory Board to County Executive; Lifetime Member and Honoree, NAACP; member, Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce; Chairperson, Peekskill African American Festival; member, Black Women’s Leadership Caucus of New York State; member, Lincoln Train Station Restoration.
Ms. Joseph has experience in motivating teams and creating an environment for personal growth and learning and has a track record of success in working with nonprofit organizations and community groups. She is particularly proud of her work in assisting women with special needs by empowering and motivating them with socialization skills.
DAVID KAMINSKY (INCUMBENT)
Class A Property Owner
1 North Division Street, 1006-08 Park Street, and 1012 Park Street, Peekskill, NY
Mr. Kaminsky is the founding partner of David A. Kaminsky & Associates, PC. He is recognized as an industry leader and a prominent real estate and landlord-tenant attorney throughout New York City. He is a managing member that owns 1006-1010 Park Street,1012 Park Street, and One North Division Street. While his practice is in New York City, Mr. Kaminsky owns two area townhouses and notes that he enjoys the restaurants and cultural experiences offered by Peekskill.
Mr. Kaminsky brings a wealth of real estate knowledge to the Board of Directors, and is an active member of the Board, having volunteered for the BID’s annual Harvest Festival as well as volunteering at the Peekskill Farmers Market. Since being elected to the Board two years ago, Mr. Kaminsky has increased his real estate holdings in the district.
His law practice includes real estate litigation, real estate counsel, real estate transactions, landlord liability claims, loft law litigation, construction litigation, commercial leasing, and general legal practice. He has experience in small and large commercial transactions, condo and coop transactions, construction loans, and more.
He has appeared as an expert in the New York Times Question & Answer Column and is a noted lecturer and panel participant on landlord-tenant law at the New York City Association of the Bar. He is also a certified Real Estate Instructor.
Mr. Kaminsky has been in private practice since 1985, was admitted to the NYS Bar in 1984, Southern and Eastern Federal District Courts in 1984, and the United State Supreme Court in 1994.
He received his J.D. From Brooklyn Law School and his B.A. in Political Science from New York University.
ARNE PAGLIA
Class A Property Owner
1007 Brown Street, Peekskill, NY 10566
Mr. Paglia is the owner of Division Street Grill Restaurant and Caterers, since 1998, and is responsible for managing both catering operations and on-premise fine dining. He oversees all facets of the operation including sales, staffing, entertainment, supplies, and payroll.
He has extensive experience in catering, food service, special events, marketing, and business consulting.
Mr. Paglia’s community activities include Robeson Celebration from 2009 to 2019; he served as Event Chair 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Robeson concert and he was involved with the 1999 Peekskill Celebration.
He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Peekskill Business Improvement District from 1999-2001 and 2006-2012.
He also serves on the Board of Sisters of the Divine Compassion Counseling Center, White Plains, NY, the Lakeland Children’s Center, Mohegan Lake, NY, and the Field Home-Holy Comforter, Yorktown Heights, NY.
He has a Bachelor of Arts, Government, from Manhattan College.
He has served in a variety of capacities at Redman Sports Business and Marketing Consultants, Advicom Inc., Mak Foods Inc., Top Rank Lacrosse Series, Bermuda Invitational & Spring Sports Programme, and Tommasso’s Restaurant & Caterers during his long career.
FERMIN “FRANK” VASQUEZ
Class A Property Owner Appointed Representative
Representing EZ Housing Inc. – 900 Main Street, 20 N. Division Street, and 44 N. Division Street, Peekskill, NY 10566
Frank Vasquez currently serves as Property and Site Manager for EZ Housing, where he oversees the day-to-day operations and routine maintenance of Peekskill Central Market at 900 Main Street and oversees and executes all administrative and logistics of Dramatic Hall, including all bookings, contracts, correspondence, and client needs. He also orchestrates all facility and client/vendor deliveries and works closely with in-house catering.
He also is tasked with ensuring safety practices and protocols are being followed for the security of clients, their guests, house staff, and the facility.
For six years he previously served as Job Developer and Vocational Assessment Services, via telecommuting in Washington, DC. He provided data research for a private workman’s compensation contractor and two of its case managers based in DC. He performed extensive research that was client-specific, gathering employment leads through internet searches and cold calls to prospective employers, and providing data and skill set requirements to case managers for potential matches and possible job placements for their clients.
Mr. Vasquez says he wants to bring his exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, sound leadership ability, outstanding organizational skills, extensive retail, human resources, and administrative experiences to the BID Board. Also, he is Bilingual in English and Spanish.
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2021 CANDIDATES FOR PEEKSKILL BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Class B Commercial Tenants (Vote for One)
MONIQUE MICHAELS (INCUMBENT)
Class B Commercial Tenant
922 Main Street, Peekskill, NY 10566 – Monique Michaels Photography
Monique Michaels is an award-winning photographer and regular contributor to The New Yorker, Manhattan, Angeleno, C, Los Angeles, and Pasadena Magazines. She moved into relocated to the Lofts on Main in 2018 and was elected to the BID Board of Directors in 2019. She would like to see expanded opportunities for artists and other creative people in the BID district.
“I’d like to see more artist opportunities, murals, street art, invitations to be part of something artistic, etc. in and around the downtown BID area. It would be my hope that serving in my second term could provide more focus on creative initiatives that work in partnership with BID members, property owners and backed by the City Council. A restaurant surviving this pandemic is just as important as an artist being able to have new channels to sell/show his/her work as these individuals also need support and need to survive in tough times like these. It is sad to see the same people continuing to reap all the rewards when we have an extreme amount of talented individuals who should be at the forefront of being offered an opportunity to create, show and perform,” said Michaels in her intent letter.
She was an active member in the community of Venice, CA, and helped with the revival of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Rose Avenue, and the Boardwalk. Ms. Michaels also helped organize the first-ever “First Friday” that brought people from all over Los Angeles and beyond to discover and spend money at local shops, restaurants, bars, galleries, and specialty stores.
While her photographic work favors medium format film photography, her digital work features portraiture, lifestyle, and journalistic style street photography. Her fine art imagery has been exhibited in both solo and group shows at the MOCA/Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Anderson Chase Gallery, Katonah, NY, and Greenwich Arts Society, Greenwich, CT, among many others around the nation.
Ms. Michaels is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers, American Photographic Artists, Advertising Photographers of America, Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles, Center for Fine Art Photography, Croton Council on the Arts, Rowayton Arts Center, Stamford Artists Association, Greenwich Arts Council and the Greenwich Art Society. In addition, she served on the Board of Directors of the MOCA Contemporaries in Los Angeles from 2011-2013.
Ms. Michaels was born and raised in Chicago, lived and worked as an artist in Venice, CA for over a decade before coming to Peekskill.
She currently is employed by ExecuSearch/NYS Dept. of Health where she currently is involved in the daily logistics and supply management at COVID hot zone testing sites.
BRIAN ORSI
Class B Commercial Tenant
107 South Division Street, Peekskill, NY 10566 – Bucko!
In addition to owning Bucko, one of Peekskill’s newest retail shops that opened in the middle of the pandemic, Mr. Orsi is also a local real estate agent.
He also serves on the Priest Search Committee at St. Peter’s Church and he is a newly appointed District Leader for the Peekskill Democratic Committee.
With over 15 years’ experience in the hospitality, events, and nightlife industries and 6+ years in real estate, Mr. Orsi will bring a wide range of experience to the BID Board.
During his time as Office Administrator at United Real Estate in Peekskill, he managed the day-to-day problem-solving for agents, company executives, and walk-in clients. He handled all the office duties of a busy real estate office focused on facilitating real estate transactions and property management. He was responsible for the firm’s email marketing campaign to 2000+ recipients, as well as upkeep of Instagram and Facebook accounts, real estate inventory print ads, and seasonal window displays. He also handled tenant relations, problem-solving, repair quotes, work orders, and document preparation for court appearances.
In addition, Mr. Orsi has experience in NYC nightlife management and promotion, marketing special events, hospitality, and retail sales.
He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY Buffalo.
ROB SCOTT
Class B Commercial Tenant
1002 Main Street, Peekskill, NY 10566 – PK Blendz Juice Bar
Through my life experiences, coupled with a background in business and grit, I have gained an understanding of the complexities of governing relationships, finances, and culture. Being a business owner in this city brings a perspective to the BID as to the wants, needs, and concerns of the business community. Having lost my first home and business as a result of the 2008 stock market crash, I know what it takes to persevere and rebuild, which is a needed quality to help get the city through the hardships of COVID-19. My love for the city of Peekskill is evident as this has been my home for over twenty years, it is where I chose to open up my businesses, and it is where I raise my beautiful family along with my loving wife, who I have been with for twenty-five years. I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Peekskill BID.
Rob Scott is the owner of the popular PK Blendz Juice Bar at 1002 Main St. Says Mr. Scott: “Opening the city’s first juice bar has enabled me to create a space that is multi-cultural, progressive, and educational, allowing me to express the importance of community and ensuring its well-being as a whole.”
He previously served as an overnight supervisor at Rocky’s Millwood Deli in Millwood, NY, overnight cook at Cameron’s Deli in Brewster, NY, and as the owner of Rob’s K&L Deli in Hopewell Junction, NY.
Mr. Scott can relate to the struggles of small businesses and perseverance. “Having lost my first home and business as a result of the 2008 stock market crash, I know what it takes to persevere and rebuild, which is a needed quality to help get the city through the hardships of COVID-19” said Mr. Scott.
He has always given back to the community by conducting lectures/presentations at Hillcrest Elementary, Peekskill Middle School, Peekskill High School, WCC Peekskill Extension, and the Peekskill Health Center, edifying the importance of health. He leads multiple health initiatives in Peekskill as the CEO/President of Project Fight Cancer, CEO/President of PK Kidz, and CEO/President of PK Fit.