With the holiday season right around the corner, the first meeting of Union City’s Urban Enterprise Zone Development Corporation Board, held Oct. 31 at 9 a.m. at City Hall, was devoted mostly to a new holiday advertising campaign. The seven-member board, which consists of five merchants and two people appointed by the Board of Commissioners, will function as an advisory board to the existing UEZ employees.
The city’s Urban Enterprise Zone allows merchants to charge a 3 percent sales tax, which goes back to improving the businesses in the area.
“[The board] will recommend projects and identify the needs of the city’s merchants,” said UEZ Coordinator Amada Avila.
The board members, Peter DeGast, the owner of IHOP on 32nd Street and Kennedy Boulevard; John Lobato, senior vice president of Lobato Carpets on Summit Avenue; Larry Wainsten of Twin City Liquors on Bergenline Avenue; Virgilio Cabello, the executive director of the city’s Housing Authority; Father Kevin Ashe of the Park Theater; Allen Lalwani, president of Drug Emporium on Kennedy Boulevard; and Carlos Vallejo, a city resident, had been approved at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
Cabello and Vallejo were the two members appointed by the Board of Commissioners.
“I wanted one city employee and one home owner,” said Union City Mayor Brian Stack. “That was my criteria.” According to Stack, Cabello was also appointed for his background in finance and banking.
Peter DeGast was voted as Chairperson, John Lobato as Vice Chairperson, Larry Wainsten as Secretary and Virgilio Cabello as treasurer.
The board will meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month in the conference room.
Preparing for the holidays
The board recently hired Cambell and Fitzgibbons, a Jersey City-based public relations firm, to help with their advertising plan.
“We are putting a heavy emphasis on cable television,” said DeGast. “We have already formed a sub-committee to work on negotiating with [Cablevision] to get the best prices.”
According to the contract, which was signed that afternoon, the commercial would be able to begin airing on Nov. 13 during prime time, which is between 4 p.m. and midnight. The board has not decided which times or channels the commercial will appear on.
Maurice Fitzgibbons, of Campbell and Fitzgibbons, said that he wanted the commercial to air mostly around the week before Thanksgiving weekend.
“We want to push for that big shopping weekend,” said Fitzgibbons.
Making improvements
The board also discussed working on a fa