FLUSHING LEADER CHALLENGED
John Choe File photo courtesy of Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.10 COM | NOV. 13-NOV. 19, 2020
by DSBS.
In 2017, downtown Flushing was selected
as one of SBS’s targeted geographies.
All nonprofit organizations servicing
the downtown Flushing community
were eligible to apply, the department
confirmed.
“Neighborhood 360 Grant recipients
are selected via a competitive grant application
process facilitated by NYC
SBS,” the department said in a statement
to QNS. “Grant applicants are required
to submit a written proposal that includes
a project description, demonstration
of need, as well a demonstration of
capacity.”
In addition to these written statements,
groups are required to provide a
staffing plan and budget proposal. Upon
the release of conditional offer letters,
grantees are then required to submit
supplemental documentation in addition
to a robust list of procurement documents.
Though former chamber members
declined to comment on Choe’s leadership
and the organization, Michael
Wang, who first volunteered to build
the group’s bookkeeping system and
served as treasurer before transitioning
to the role of member services, said
there was nothing that didn’t seem
right at first.
“Our budget wasn’t big at that time
and everything seemed to be accounted
for properly,” he told QNS.
However, Wang said he believed the
chamber wasn’t effective in achieving
its mission statement, which is to help
members and the business community
in Flushing in general.
“A lot of the activities we were doing
leaned more toward the environment
and transportation, and things that don’t
either directly help local businesses or
just don’t really help them at all,” Wang
said. Wang said he doesn’t know whether
Choe is using the chamber for his own
personal agenda.
‘SKETCHY BOOKS’
Chuck Apelian, the vice chair and
chair of the Land Use Committee on
Community Board 7, had raised concerns
about Choe’s motives after claiming that
Choe is using the chamber as a platform
to represent his own views and opinions.
Furthermore, Apelian claimed that he
heard from other people that the books at
the chamber have been “sketchy.”
“The makeup of this organization just
doesn’t represent anything anymore.
The business community doesn’t feel
he supports them,” Apelian said. “He’s
going against the Flushing Waterfront
Development and instead of supporting
the economic development that’s going to
create permanent jobs and good growth
of the city, he’s using it for his own ulterior
motives and political aspirations.”
Longtime CB 7 member Joe Sweeney,
echoed Apelian’s sentiments.
“Personally, I’ve spent many nights at
meetings because I love Queens and have
lived here all my life, and I think John
Choe’s ultimate goal is to destroy our
community board,” Sweeney said. “He’s
confrontational with the board members
and makes false accusations. He’s just
someone that is combative and has given
us a bad rap.”
Meanwhile, Choe defended his leadership
against those accusations, saying
that neither he nor the chamber have
done any wrongdoing outside the rules
and regulations of New York state’s chartered
nonprofit corporations.
“There’s nothing that I have done as
executive director of the chamber to benefit
myself,” Choe said. “I have not taken
money from developers. I haven’t personally
been compensated by special interest
groups in the community.”
FACEBOOK CONTROVERSY
In September 2018, Arlene Fleishman,
a current CB 7 member and president of
the Mitchell-Linden Civic Association,
had sought legal action against Choe to
remove him from their Facebook account
or remove the name of the organization.
According to Fleishman, the Mitchell
Linden Civic Association’s Facebook
account was established years ago when
Choe was co-president of the organization.
Choe, Fleishman and another member,
Emily Sheahan, were listed as administrators
of the page, according to
Fleishman.
However, one day, Fleishman was notified
that Choe had removed them as admins,
taking full control of the Mitchell-
Linden Civic Association account.
“He had no right to do what he did.
He’s a very dishonest person and I don’t
think he has any integrity. He may be on
the community board, but I have nothing
to do with him,” Fleishman said.
Choe told QNS he had nothing to do
with the CB 7 Facebook page.
Read more on QNS.com.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
While the Greater Flushing Chamber
of Commerce (GFCC) is registered as a
nonprofit corporation in New York state,
public records indicate that the organization’s
tax-exempt status was revoked
by the IRS in 2019, after failing to file
Form 990 for three consecutive years.
GFCC Executive Director John Choe
told QNS that an “accounting issue” is to
blame for the group’s tax-exempt status
being revoked, though public records
indicate that the GFCC has failed to file
the vital reporting form since 2016.
According to the IRS, Form 990 is
the reporting form that many federally
tax-exempt organizations must file with
the IRS each year. This form allows the
IRS and the general public to evaluate a
nonprofit’s operations; it includes information
on the nonprofit’s mission, programs
and finances.
GFCC filed the forms in 2014 and
2015, but had failed to file from 2016-2018,
while still receiving a Neighborhood 360
Grant from NYC Small Business Services.
This had raised a question about if
current recognition by the IRS of taxexempt
status of a nonprofit corporation
is necessary for an organization to conduct
business in New York.
Choe has addressed accusations regarding
the legality of the organization’s
nonprofit status, which he says is in full
compliance with the New York state
nonprofit law.
When asked about the organization’s
IRS revocation, Choe claims that
it was “obviously incorrect” and that it
“must’ve been an accounting issue.”
“I spoke with our previous accountant,
and apparently, there was an accounting
error. He is trying to resolve
this with the IRS regarding submission
of our 990 forms,” Choe said.
FUNDING ELIGIBILITY
Since its launch in 2014, the GFCC
has established a community night market,
introduced a free English language
program for the business community, offered
marketing resources and created
lending circles to help entrepreneurs
build credit.
In order to provide those services to
the community, the chamber receives
funding through annual membership
fees, sponsorships of events, and funding
from the NYC Small Business Services
(SBS), according to Choe.
According to the Lawyers Alliance of
New York, a tax-exempt status is not necessary
for a New York nonprofit corporation
to conduct business in New York.
Whether or not any grant-making entity
might require such status as a condition
to making a grant is entirely at the discretion
of the entity making the grant.
The NYS Small Business Services
verified that GFCC was a recipient of the
N360 Grant for Fiscal Year 2019. Their
contract ran through Fiscal Year 2020.
For a neighborhood to be eligible for
Neighborhood 360 grant funding, it must
meet one of the following criteria:
A Business Improvement District or a
Special Assessment District; a Commercial
Revitalization Area; an area undergoing
a rezoning that will result in a change
in allowable commercial or industrial
space; or an area where a Commercial
District Needs Assessment or a comparable
comprehensive neighborhood study
or plan has been completed and reviewed
/QNS.com
