Discussion over who should be the next executive director of the Oxford Downtown Development Authority (DDA) at the July 17 board meeting touched on a broader topic – the lack of involvement by business owners.

Board Member Geno Mallia, Jr. pointed out that what’s missing at the DDA’s monthly meetings are the business owners, sitting in the audience, providing input, insight and guidance on a variety of issues.

The only downtown business owner who has regularly attended DDA meetings for years is Ron Rolando, owner of Great Lakes Mercantile (8 S. Washington St.).

Mallia indicated he’s spoken with business owners and he said, “The DDA is so far off their planner, we’ll never get on it unless we find somebody (as director) who can engage them in . . . intelligent conversation.”

“You have to go out and engage the businesses and find out what they’re feeling,” he said.

DDA Board Member Elgin Nichols, who serves as a trustee on the township board, agreed more businesses “have to get involved.”

“We’re running the train, but they’re the people that are really feeling it,” he said.

DDA Chair Sue Bossardet, who also serves as village president, said, “It has been years since the DDA has seen people in the audience.”

In her view, the only time people show up is when there’s a problem or an issue they’re concerned about.

“They come, they say their piece . . . then they get up and leave,” Bossardet said. “Even though they say they’re going to come back and they’re going to be involved, they don’t.”

“It’s something that I feel is wrong with the community, but I don’t have a solution for it because it’s been going on for years,” she added.

“You’re not alone. Every board has that issue,” Mallia noted.

“If you could just get some people to come, once in a while, like you say, and have four or five businesses (in the audience), but you can’t (get) them to come,” Bossardet said.

“You can just simply ask,” Mallia replied.

The nine-member DDA board regularly meets on the third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and take place in the village council chambers at 22 W. Burdick St. To learn more about the DDA, please visit www.downtownoxford.org.