More changes coming to the nonprofit behind Carmel's iconic Christkindlmarkt
More changes are coming to the operation behind the Carmel Christkindlmarkt as city officials try to get on the same page in the ongoing saga.
The most impactful change will give some power to the City Council in appointing the board of directors for Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc., the nonprofit organization that manages the event.
Drama surrounding the market began last fall when, under Mayor Sue Finkam's leadership, the city dismissed two former board members, and the then-board chair resigned shortly after. On the same day the former board chair resigned, four new board members, who were appointed by Finkam, approved a new operating agreement between Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc. and the city.
Since then, city officials drilled into the finances and operations of the market at a public Affiliate Review Committee meeting, and the founding CEO of the market resigned, stating she was pushed out by the organization's board of directors, who were appointed by Finkam. In May, Carmel City Council unanimously voted to investigate actions surrounding the market.
Changes to the nonprofit's governance structure were announced June 3 and were 'solidified through a collaborative process involving the Carmel Mayor's Office, the Carmel City Council and Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc.'s leadership,' according to a news release.
Previous coverage: Carmel City Council votes for Christkindlmarkt investigation, at odds with mayor
The changes will allow the City Council to nominate some board members, a power that councilors have not had. These changes will be effective on or after July 1, 2025:
At the beginning of 2026, the following actions will be taken:
Finkam and City Council President Adam Aasen both said they were supportive of the changes in the news release.
Planning for the 2025 Carmel Christkindlmarkt is ongoing, and all efforts remain on schedule, according to the news release. Opening day for the market is set for Nov. 22, 2025.
There has not been much progress made in public meetings since city councilors voted to investigate actions surrounding the market in early May.
The City Council will investigate "the actions taken by representatives, contractors and the Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc. Board of Directors as it relates to the Carmel Christkindlmarkt," but it also has the power to look into any of Finkam's Chriskindlmarkt decisions. The investigation was introduced as a verbal motion from councilor Jeff Worrell and was approved by an 8-0 vote.
The only public step forward councilors have made in the investigation was nominating councilor Ryan Locke to take charge of the effort. Committee and City Council meetings since then have focused heavily on an ordinance passed June 2 that will regulate the number of rental homes allowed in the community.
At the same meeting, councilors voted for an investigation, they also introduced a proposal to have even more influence over Finkam's Christkindlmarkt board appointees than the changes announced June 3.
More coverage: Carmel Christkindlmarkt CEO 'excluded from key decisions,' resignation letter says
The ordinance introduced in May would require at least one member of the organization's governing body to be appointed by the City Council. The remaining members of Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc. would have to be approved by the City Council under the proposed ordinance, as opposed to just being appointed by the mayor.
The proposal, sponsored by Aasen, Worrell and city councilors Teresa Ayers, Shannon Minnaar and Matt Snyder, remains in the Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee, which does not have its next meeting scheduled.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Aldermen advance measure allowing Airbnb bans in Chicago precincts
Aldermen took a step Wednesday toward giving themselves the power to ban Airbnb's and other short-term rentals from opening in their wards. The City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the ordinance that would allow aldermen to unilaterally block new short-term rentals one precinct at a time. It could now face a final vote by all aldermen as soon as next week. Sponsor Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, called the city's current ordinance made a decade ago 'extremely sloppy.' The existing law allows short-term rentals to be blocked only when 25% of a precinct's registered voters sign a petition calling for it. 'This is the only ordinance written in the city of Chicago where, when there is a problem in the industry, the onus is put on residents to fix it,' Napolitano said. The Far Northwest Side alderman's ordinance seeks to reverse that, allowing aldermen to block short-term rentals in a precinct on their own. It would then give companies the chance to overturn the ban by collecting signatures from 10% of the precinct's voters. Most aldermen in attendance backed the ordinance in a voice vote. Several cited issues in their ward with disruptive parties at short-term rentals, a problem Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said is 'on steroids' in dense downtown high rises. 'The guests are taking over common areas, pool decks, lobbies, fitness rooms,' he said. 'With the late night parties and noise complaints, et cetera, God help you if you own a condo next to one of these nightly rental units.' Napolitano argued the ordinance will not hurt short-term rental companies, but instead simply gives aldermen a tool to advocate for residents when issues arise. But Airbnb is strongly opposed to the proposal. 'Alderman Napolitano's ordinance amendment is an over-broad and misguided violation of Chicagoans' property rights, which would punish responsible homeowners and local businesses who rely on the income from travel on short-term rentals — especially in neighborhoods outside of Chicago's traditional tourism hubs,' Airbnb spokesperson Jonathan Buckner said in a statement Wednesday. Mayor Brandon Johnson is continuing to not take a side on the issue. Asked where he stood on the ordinance at a Wednesday morning news conference, he said he wanted to 'continue to ensure that we are building a safe, affordable city.' 'This particular measure, quite frankly, I'll have to look into a little bit deeper,' Johnson said. 'But I know that there are a number of alders who mean well and are trying to show up for their particular pocket of the city.' Several aldermen noted the absence of staff from Johnson's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, adding that they wished someone could answer questions about how bans could affect tax revenue. Alds. Matt O'Shea, 19th, and Bill Conway, 34th, voted against the measure, with O'Shea noting taxes on the rentals sent around $4 million to fight domestic violence. 'Have we thought of how we are going to replace that?' O'Shea asked. 'It's been my experience working with Airbnb that when a problem is identified, it's addressed.' Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, used the city's current process requiring residents' signatures to ban short-term rentals from every precinct in his Southwest Side ward. The whole-ward ban took 12,000 signatures and seven years to complete, he said. The ward is '95% single family dwellings,' and short-term rentals 'would have an adverse impact on our quality of life,' Quinn said. Asked what he thinks of Airbnb's argument that the ban is similar to historic racist efforts to keep Black and Latino people out of certain neighborhoods, Quinn called it a 'desperate statement from a company who got exactly what they wanted' when the original ordinance passed. 'I'm not saying that Airbnb isn't good in some parts of the city,' he said. 'It's just not good in the Bungalow Belt, and I have 12,000 signatures that would suggest that.' Aldermen also Wednesday advanced a measure to crack down on illegal pedicabs with potential impoundments.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
NYC councilmember urges residents to take up arms after robbers tied up Queens family in shocking home invasion
A City Council member from Queens is urging her constituents to arm themselves following a terrifying home invasion in which robbers posing as Amazon drivers tied up a family and snatched thousands of dollars in cash, according to cops. Republican Vickie Paladino offered to help residents in her district — which covers Whitestone, where the ordeal took place — obtain gun permits in light of the break-in Monday morning. 'I want to remind my constituents that New Yorkers have a constitutional right to protect themselves,' Paladino said in a statement. Advertisement 'I urge my constituents to avail themselves of their rights under the Second Amendment; my office is always available to assist constituents with obtaining firearm permits for premises or concealed carry,' she said Tuesday. The conservative pol's call to arms came as the NYPD on Wednesday released surveillance footage of the pair of wanted perps wearing baseball caps, with one of them carrying an Amazon box and the other wearing a bright-yellow vest, walking on the quiet residential block. The masked thieves pushed their way into the home at around 9 a.m., tying up the family living there, including three children, duct-taping their mouths — and then making off with the cash and jewelry, cops said. Advertisement Council Member Vickie Paladino said she would help constituents get gun permits in a post on Facebook. Vickie Palladino / Facebook 'The NYPD has indicated that this was a targeted incident and there is no ongoing threat to the community,' Paladino said. 'Let me be absolutely clear – violence has no place in Whitestone or anywhere in our district.' Neighbors said home invasions were not uncommon in the area — with at least two telling The Post they had recently been robbed. Advertisement A 37-year-old Whitestone resident who declined to give her name said money and jewelry were taken from her house six months ago, but luckily no one was home at the time. 'I don't think it was random. I think people are scoping out the area,' she said. 'This neighborhood has been a little crazy. The same thing that happened to them happened to us.' Another neighbor, a 25-year-old man, said his house had been broken into about six months ago as well. Advertisement Police are still investigating the crime, the suspects have not yet been apprehended. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 'When that happened, we got prepared. You gotta protect yourself. All that matters is your life. The bad people, they never get caught,' he told the Post. The 109th precinct, which encompasses Whitestone, has reported 99 robberies so far in 2025. The NYPD is still searching for the suspects in the latest heist. 'The safety of our neighborhoods is my top priority – and I will not sit quietly while violence threatens our neighborhoods,' Paladino said.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Aldermen advance measure allowing Airbnb bans in Chicago precincts
Aldermen took a step Wednesday toward giving themselves the power to ban Airbnb's and other short-term rentals from opening in their wards. The City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the ordinance that would allow aldermen to unilaterally block new short-term rentals one precinct at a time. It could now face a final vote by all aldermen as soon as next week. Sponsor Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, called the city's current ordinance made a decade ago 'extremely sloppy.' The existing law allows short-term rentals to be blocked only when 25% of a precinct's registered voters sign a petition calling for it. 'This is the only ordinance written in the city of Chicago where, when there is a problem in the industry, the onus is put on residents to fix it,' Napolitano said. The Far Northwest Side alderman's ordinance seeks to reverse that, allowing aldermen to block short-term rentals in a precinct on their own. It would then give companies the chance to overturn the ban by collecting signatures from 10% of the precinct's voters. Most aldermen in attendance backed the ordinance in a voice vote. Several cited issues in their ward with disruptive parties at short-term rentals, a problem Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said is 'on steroids' in dense downtown high rises. 'The guests are taking over common areas, pool decks, lobbies, fitness rooms,' he said. 'With the late night parties and noise complaints, et cetera, God help you if you own a condo next to one of these nightly rental units.' Napolitano argued the ordinance will not hurt short-term rental companies, but instead simply gives aldermen a tool to advocate for residents when issues arise. But Airbnb is strongly opposed to the proposal. 'Alderman Napolitano's ordinance amendment is an over-broad and misguided violation of Chicagoans' property rights, which would punish responsible homeowners and local businesses who rely on the income from travel on short-term rentals — especially in neighborhoods outside of Chicago's traditional tourism hubs,' Airbnb spokesperson Jonathan Buckner said in a statement Wednesday. Mayor Brandon Johnson is continuing to not take a side on the issue. Asked where he stood on the ordinance at a Wednesday morning news conference, he said he wanted to 'continue to ensure that we are building a safe, affordable city.' 'This particular measure, quite frankly, I'll have to look into a little bit deeper,' Johnson said. 'But I know that there are a number of alders who mean well and are trying to show up for their particular pocket of the city.' Several aldermen noted the absence of staff from Johnson's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, adding that they wished someone could answer questions about how bans could affect tax revenue. Alds. Matt O'Shea, 19th, and Bill Conway, 34th, voted against the measure, with O'Shea noting taxes on the rentals sent around $4 million to fight domestic violence. 'Have we thought of how we are going to replace that?' O'Shea asked. 'It's been my experience working with Airbnb that when a problem is identified, it's addressed.' Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, used the city's current process requiring residents' signatures to ban short-term rentals from every precinct in his Southwest Side ward. The whole-ward ban took 12,000 signatures and seven years to complete, he said. The ward is '95% single family dwellings,' and short-term rentals 'would have an adverse impact on our quality of life,' Quinn said. Asked what he thinks of Airbnb's argument that the ban is similar to historic racist efforts to keep Black and Latino people out of certain neighborhoods, Quinn called it a 'desperate statement from a company who got exactly what they wanted' when the original ordinance passed. 'I'm not saying that Airbnb isn't good in some parts of the city,' he said. 'It's just not good in the Bungalow Belt, and I have 12,000 signatures that would suggest that.' Aldermen also Wednesday advanced a measure to crack down on illegal pedicabs with potential impoundments.
