Hi!  Hope all's going well?  This is just an opening sally, to let
you know that I had an epiphany this morning, after sitting on a panel
in Harlem last night, and that's that someone needs to start chivving
electeds towards enacting legislation which actively supports small
business.  I know that all of you care verbally about small business,
local economy, and neighborhood character in practice, but it's time to
start legislating measures to back up this concern with concrete help. 
Commercial rent control which is fair to both landlords and tenants,
subsidy programs which support local business at least as
much as they support destructive big box businesses (if not MORE?), and
creative loan programs to allow the people who own the businesses that
make NYC the distinctive, unique, caring place that it is to own property – you
MUST support these measures.  . . .

My goal during the campaign time
specifically is to facilitate your access to the public, to give you
access, and to give the people access, but to put you all in the hot
seat:  Yes, you care about these issues, but what are you going to DO? 
Will small business begin to receive the same incentives that big
business does? Will you begin to address the inequity between how we're
treated?  I urge you to add serious, thought-out, practical measures to
your platforms. 

People are waking up — they're paying millions of
dollars to live in character-driven neighborhoods, which city policy is
destroying around them.  They're not going to stay dumb forever.  Soon,
they're going to be pissed off.  Supporting measures which maintain the
ability of neighborhoods to be self-sustaining isn't a pipe dream: 
It's simply diverting some of the massive funding which has gone to
developers to thought-out community based initiatives.  It's the right
thing to do.  It's a smart campaigning platform, and it's also the
thing that I will be moving heaven and earth to make catch up with
you.  Hey — you could be the first, to stand up meaningfully for the
employers of 50% of NYC's working force, and 90% of our tourist appeal.

 

As ever, the bookstore is available as a platform for you to talk
to the public, please just get in touch.  I know a bunch of you are
doing it already.

Step up?  In any case, I know I'll see you all soon.

 

Much love,

Catherine.