Economic Vitality
Pro Business over here
I think the term pro-business is synonymous with anti-worker or anti-protections of consumers. So, let me be clear. I believe in workers rights and in regulating businesses to behave ethically. I'm not pro business above regular people, I'm pro business for people. Shall I explain?
So many of our businesses here in Louisville are small and locally owned. When I think, how can I help our business community, I'm thinking about Tracy at Eleanor and Hobbs or Tim and Down Under or Jatin at DJs Watering Hole. I'm thinking about David and Boulder Creek Neighborhoods and Paul at ...Paul's. Mike at Old Style Sausage. What can the city do to support, encourage, promote our amazing small businesses? How can we get even more unique stores and restaurants to come to Louisville over the next few years?
We need to change the narrative and be intentional about how we treat our businesses. The City of Louisville is highly dependent on the sales tax generated by our businesses, but they also serve as an amenity and we should treat them as such. Having a park and a bike path and a school are absolutely critical. But so is having a place to shop and eat and be with community.
I promise to vote for initiatives that will incentivize new and growing businesses to stay or relocate to our city. We need them as much as they need us.
Filling our vacant properties is one of my highest priorities.
Affordable Housing adds people to our community who need groceries, entertainment, clothes, dentists, breweries, haircuts. Every business will tell you that more people means more money. More money for them means more sales tax for us, which means better roads, better parks, and even a faster decarb program. It's a win-win-win-win and so on.