Jobs & Economy
As more and more people in our communities go unemployed due to the recession, small businesses have seen a serious loss of customers. We support policies that will help get people back to work in good-paying jobs and restore the customer base in our communities.
SEATTLE TIMES :: A Bank of Washington could help state businesses on road to recovery
In a guest column to the Seattle Times, Main Street Alliance of Washington members Makini Howell (Plum Bistro, Seattle) and Gregg Lanza (Noble Horse Gallery, Oak Harbor) make the case for creating a state community investment bank, modeled after the Bank of North Dakota.
For more than 90 years, the Bank of North Dakota has partnered with local community banks to boost small-business and family-farmer lending. The bank returns profits to the state’s general fund, easing the responsibility of taxpayers for funding important state priorities. The Bank of North Dakota enjoys broad bipartisan support and has contributed to the state’s healthy economy, which boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country and a state budget in surplus.
Read the full column here.
TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE :: Bills by Rep. Hasegawa and Sen. Prentice would create a state bank
The Tacoma News Tribune reports on small business support for legislation creating a state community investment bank.
Joshua Welter of Main Street Alliance, a Washington small business coalition, said the proposal was a good idea because it would stimulate lending to companies too small to get commercial loans in a tight credit market.
Read the full article here.
Main Street Alliance Member Meets the President
Today was an exciting day for Main Street Alliance of Washington member Jody Hall (Cupcake Royale, Seattle/Bellevue). She was invited to participate in a backyard conversation with President Obama and Senator Patty Murray about women and the economy. Jody made us proud, doing a great job representing the Main Street Alliance and sharing the story of her business.
Did the President get to try Jody’s cupcakes? “I suspect Secret Service confiscated them and are now eating them as we speak,” Obama said.
Check out coverage in NPR, CNN, The White House Blog, The LA Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Seattle Times, The Spokesman Review, and The Stranger.