Barrison Responds

Steve Barrison of the Small Business Congress responds to-and elaborates on-our post on mayoral myopia. Here's his thoughts, right from Main Street:

It's still incredible after the Small Business Survival Act Committee hearings last year when the Deputy Mayor Walsh for Small Business, etc., bragged of loans available to small business, when over 95% of the struggling main street neighborhood businesses don't need more debt, they need relief from the high fines, taxes and rising cost to operate a business here and live here.

We introduced studies taken of what over 95% of the NYC small businesses need and guess what, it wasn't loans! Even the Feds in DC don't get it, bragging about loans available for the small businesses. Well for those that need it, great, but the overwhelming majority of small businesses don't! The last eight years demonstrate with a clear record to look at that the mayor for two terms actually hurt small business more than any other mayor since the great depression.

What small business, real world, hands on experience does he or his staff bring to the discussion? How many worked in main street retail, mom & pop stores, local service businesses, grocery or local supermarkets, etc?? How many owned or managed them? The time is now for the real working small business owners to be invited to the table to make policy addressing their needs now for main street and every community in NYC.