The board of directors of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade has two new members, both of whom have been involved in the parade for several years.

A meeting of the board last week in New York elected Sean Lane and Brendan Lynch as new members.  Born in New York and raised in Co. Galway, Lane is the co-founder and vice chairman of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Foundation, which provides financial support to the parade.  He is a senior vice president at Morgan Stanley, and is married with two children.

Lynch, according to a press release, has been a volunteer with the parade for 27 years. He is associate principal of Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers in New York.

“I’m honored and delighted to join the board of the greatest parade in the world, and look forward to helping it grow in future years,” Lane told the Irish Voice.

Lynch and Lane were elected by votes of 14-1 each, the lone dissenter being John Dunleavy, the former chairman of the board’s Parade and Celebration Committee whose role in the parade was downgraded by a vote of the board in a June 2015 meeting.  Dunleavy, who launched legal proceedings against the parade at the end of 2015, retains a seat on the board.

Dunleavy’s lawsuit contends that all activities of the board have been illegal since June 2015, but he continues to participate in meetings and last June both praised and voted to extend the term of board chairman Dr. John Lahey – who he named as the chief defendant in his lawsuit.

Up for discussion at last week’s board meeting were a number of items, including by-law changes that would require board members who sue the parade to be responsible for the board’s legal costs.

Last month, Bronx Supreme Court Judge Robert Johnson ruled against five separate orders Dunleavy’s attorney filed against the parade board as part of his lawsuit. The judge also allowed for the suit to be re-filed within 20 days, and it is believed that the attorney, Frank Young, has done this.

The parade will be led this year by grand marshal Michael Dowling, chairman and CEO of Northwell Health. Also announced last week was an additional aide, New York State Police Trooper Patricia Groeber who will serve as an aide-at-large.

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