I'm sure you've noticed the growing number of vacant stores in our shopping districts. It is frightening to see so many businesses which had been around for decades now closing down for good. Those closed businesses mean less jobs for our community, less tax revenue for our city and state and, with the drop in foot traffic on the avenues, a growing strain on the businesses that remain open.

Small business is the bedrock of our city's and our nation's economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, in 2007 there were 27.2 million small businesses in the United States. Small businesses create approximately 4 out of every 5 new jobs in America. In New York City, there are roughly 200,000 small businesses — this equates to 2/3 of the City’s private sector jobs. Small business owners — not Citibank, Bank of America, and AIG — pay most of the salaries of those who work in New York City. Small business is the engine of our economy.

Small business is what drives our economy both nationally and here in Queens. It is ingrained in our history. District 19 would therefore be best served by an elected representative with the economic experience and knowledge to navigate his community through our troubled economic waters. Steve’s background is suited to this very task.

Steve holds a bachelor degree in economics and political science, a law degree, a master of law in securities and financial regulation, as well as a Masters in Business Administration in finance and management. He has used this knowledge as an attorney to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as the owner of a two small businesses. This has given him insight into the challenges small businesses face everyday and the extraordinary contributions they make to our economy and community.

The problem is that New York State and New York City have not created a supportive economic environment for small businesses. Many of the small business owners I have spoken to have cited the following problems:

     - poor parking and traffic conditions
     - overburdening regulations
     - insufficient mass transit opportunities
     - complicated licensing procedures
     - unresponsive city agencies

New York seems to make it very difficult to establish and succeed in small business. An example of a business disincentive in New York State is the requirement that each new limited liability company (LLC) registered with New York State publish that it has been formed in two newspapers for six weeks each. While the filing fee to register a new LLC is only $200, the required publication can add $1500 to the cost of starting a new business. Meanwhile, nearly all of the information required to be published in the newspapers is already published on the web site of the New York State Secretary of State. In the age of the Internet, publishing this information in two newspapers serves absolutely no purpose other than to line the pockets of newspaper publishers. This section of the New York State LLC Act is simply corporate welfare for the newspaper industry. This is just one of many examples of how the State and City take advantage of small business owners — and it’s not right!

Here in District 19, this unwelcoming small business environment is visible in all of our shopping districts. Too many vacant storefronts can be seen in Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Whitestone, Little Neck, and Douglaston. In addition to improving the business environment, we need to work together to determine how our business owners, landlords, and residents can collectively improve the business climate.

How do we do this? A public-private partnership is required to combat this growing problem. Once elected, Steve has vowed to convene a series “Small Business Town Hall” meetings throughout the district. These meetings will bring together small business owners, landlords, community leaders, and government officials. It is time to get all the stakeholders together in one room so that they can work together to make everyone more successful. The Small Business Town Halls will help highlight the problems facing our small businesses and help determine a path to once again have a thriving small business community in northeast Queens.