14 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 12, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Flushing community leader challenged
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
While the Greater Flushing Chamber of
Commerce (GFCC) is registered as a nonprofi
t corporation in New York state, public
records indicate that the organization’s
tax-exempt status was revoked by the IRS
in 2019, aft er failing to fi le 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 fi le
the vital reporting form since 2016.
According to the IRS, Form 990 is the
reporting form that many federally taxexempt
organizations must fi le with the
IRS each year. Th is form allows the IRS
and the general public to evaluate a nonprofi
t’s operations; it includes information
on the nonprofi t’s mission, programs
and fi nances.
GFCC fi led the forms in 2014 and 2015,
but had failed to fi le from 2016-2018,
while still receiving a Neighborhood 360
Grant from NYC Small Business Services.
Th is had raised a question about if current
recognition by the IRS of tax-exempt
status of a nonprofi t corporation is necessary
for an organization to conduct business
in New York.
Choe has addressed accusations regarding
the legality of the organization’s nonprofi
t 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, off ered
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 nonprofi t 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.
Th e NYS Small Business Services verifi
ed that GFCC was a recipient of the
N360 Grant for Fiscal Year 2019. Th eir
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 by DSBS.
In 2017, downtown Flushing was selected
as one of SBS’s targeted geographies.
All nonprofi t organizations servicing the
downtown Flushing community were eligible
to apply, the department confi rmed.
“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 staff -
ing plan and budget proposal. Upon the
release of conditional off er letters, grantees
are then required to submit supplemental
documentation in addition to a
robust list of procurement documents.
Th ough former chamber members
declined to comment on Choe’s leadership
and the organization, Michael Wang,
who fi rst 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 fi rst.
“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 eff ective 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.
As head of member services, Wang
aimed to add value to the organization by
creating committees and events.
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 aft er 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.”
“Th e makeup of this organization just
doesn’t represent anything anymore.
Th e 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 about Choe’s
character.
“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 nonprofi
t corporations.
“Th ere’s nothing that I have done as
executive director of the chamber to benefi
t 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 notifi
ed 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. “He
doesn’t act in the best interests of the
people, and who is he to take me as the
president off as an administrator on our
Facebook page.”
According to Fleishman, a Facebook
representative had informed them that
Choe had complete control and, other
than legal action, they had no recourse.
In response to the incident, Choe said
he “can’t remember exactly what happened
with the page,” and that he would
have to retract it.
A similar incident occurred with the
creation of an authorized Community
Board 7 Facebook page, according to
Board Chair Eugene Kelty.
According to Kelty, the Facebook page
displayed information tied to events
organized by the Flushing Chamber of
Commerce. It was then removed aft er the
board requested the NYC Department of
Investigation to intervene with Facebook.
Th e board had suspected Choe created
the page, and when asked, Choe was noncommittal
regarding his involvement.
“My job as a chair is to run the meeting.
Th ere are people that give opinions,
and he John Choe seems to take the least
direction that the board is going on,” Kelty
said. “In 36 years, never once has there
been a discredit or bad image given to the
board at all. It was always a unifi ed vote
and open to the public.”
Choe told QNS he had nothing to do
with the CB 7 Facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
