Island Park Chamber dispute escalates, by-laws changed

With two weeks to go until the Dec. 12 election that will choose the president of the Island Park chamber of commerce for the next year, the war of words between the organization’s president, Glenn Ingoglia, and Long Beach chamber of commerce executive vice president Mark Tannenbaum has become more strident, with Ingoglia claiming that Tannenbaum just wants to gain political advantage in the coming town mayoral election and Tannenbaum claiming that there is a conflict of interest since Ingoglia seeks to be both a candidate for mayor and the chamber president.

Tannenbaum’s latest charge is that an “illegal” change in the organization’s by-laws last week would keep many, including himself, from voting in the election.

The organization’s board met on Nov. 21 to include four new clauses to the by-laws. The first states that only members whose dues are paid and current can vote in elections for officers and board members. The second mandated that all membership applications shall be reviewed by the board at a scheduled board meeting and approved only if a majority of the board members present vote to accept the application. After passing the new rules, the board reviewed and denied a membership application from Tannenbaum.

The third by-law change stipulated that no potential members will be eligible to participate in elections unless their dues have been received and their application reviewed and approved by the board no later than the last board meeting prior to the elections. The fourth change, specific to the upcoming Dec. 12 election, states that in order to be eligible to vote in that election, that an application had to be made and accepted and dues paid by Nov. 21.

Tannenbaum said that nearly 40 applications were turned down at the Nov. 21 meeting, arguing that the rejections were simply to allow Ingoglia to keep power.

He renewed his contention that he is simply interested in working hard for the Island Park business community, doing the things that he is now doing for the Long Beach business community as the executive vice president of its chamber.