This dynamic has sparked a backlash that could affect the upcoming general election. In this general election, a wide range of candidates are vying for her two seats on the General Council, including the current chairman of the Council’s Business Committee and its Labor Committee. odds.
Worker and consumer advocates want to keep their profits, but some business owners believe the upcoming council will do more to their advantage with laws that can reduce insurance burdens and other regulations. I hope you take action.
More than two years after the pandemic began, it’s been a tough time for businesses in the area, especially those catering to the city’s tourists (who have been missing for months) and downtown office workers (many of whom have yet to return to their desks). was. ). Empty stores dot the downtown corridors. In the first half of 2020, he saw more than 1,000 businesses close, but has since seen an uptick in new business license applications. Data show that from February 2020 to March 2022 he said more than 2,300 businesses have left downtown DC, while suburban areas such as Bethesda and Loudoun County are far behind in retaining and attracting businesses. is going well.
Solomon Keane, who heads the hotel association in Washington, said owners who were hit hard when the pandemic wiped out vacation trips and meetings can barely afford the impact of hotel housekeeping laws. become, Another recent regulation requires hotels to notify guests of “actual or potential interruptions in service,” including when hotel workers’ unions threaten labor conduct.
“We have very real competition on the Virginia-Maryland National Harbor border,” says Keane. “Frankly, this makes people think about the competitiveness of the district.”
Two city councilors opposed housekeeping bills passed in April — Mary M. Che (D-Ward 3) said washing hotel sheets more often is harmful to the environment , Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) said companies cannot. Inevitably, more housekeepers will need to be paid for — the rest of the council supports the bill, and many are willing to pay workers by forcing hotels to hire more people. Said it would be profitable.
Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), a leading worker rights advocate on the city council and candidate for re-election on the city council, scoffs at the idea that the city council’s recent legislation will keep businesses out of the city. did.
“When we banned smoking in the streets, [business owners] All the restaurants said they were moving to Virginia. Did it happen? No, DC has one of the most thriving restaurant scenes in any city in the country,” Silverman said. “Then we raised the minimum wage — the little boy who screamed wolves again. Again, ‘Everybody moves to Maryland and Virginia. ‘ No, it didn’t happen.” ”
She said the same speculation was rife when she defended paid parental leave benefits for Washington, DC employees. She believes this has helped local businesses attract workers instead of hurting their bottom line. “We are getting inquiries from working people in their 30s and 40s about paid parental leave. ”
Silberman chaired the council’s business committee this year and is seeking re-election on a large scale, including a more business-friendly council member, Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5). I am running for candidacy. McDuffie did not respond to a request for comment.
The two council members are competing with incumbent Democrat Anita Bonds, independent Fred Hill, independents Karim Marshall and Graham McLaughlin, Republican Giuseppe Niosi and DC’s Green Party candidate David Schwartzman. , and the top two voters win.
McLaughlin operates on a business-friendly platform.He criticized some of the council’s recent actions, including a bill banning companies from having large numbers of employees sign Non-compete and hotel room cleaning laws. “Encourage companies to train their members of the team. That’s what we want,” he said. “The hotel bill is an example of an act of action driven by interest group demands rather than a careful consideration of what is best for the city and its inhabitants. We should let companies decide how best to run their businesses.”
Instead, it proposes to loosen regulations, such as removing licensing requirements for certain professions such as interior design and allowing companies to proceed with projects if they do not get a timely response from city regulators. Did.
Council Chairman Phil Mendelsohn (Democrat) believes “tension” between laws that protect workers and residents and laws that favor business will be a major issue for the council next term. said that
“The council has had some discussions about finding the right balance. And talking to others about how to prevent it, he said, citing the recent example of a distillery shutting down in Ivy City while still maintaining production in Kansas, small businesses are taking advantage of the city. “The Council must look for ways to improve the business environment.”
DC is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to support businesses as the pandemic enters its third year, handing out multiple rounds of generous grants to restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels and more.
“There has been a tremendous amount of help pouring into DC’s business culture, and I am very grateful for all of it. Kimberly Bender, director and representative of several local businesses, said:
But even though subsidies have kept breweries alive, she said, local laws can sometimes hold them back. “Pivot” was the word of the small business pandemic. When your hands are tied in too many ways, you really don’t have many options. ”
Dean Hunter, who heads a trade association of landlords who own small rental properties, said his organization hosts workshops for landlords who want to buy their next building in Baltimore or Richmond instead of DC. .
“The DC Council used the pandemic as a pretext to pass a series of regressive anti-landlord measures that are crippling landlords today. I went,” Hunter said, pointing to landlord and tenant laws that include a ban on filing for eviction for nonpayment of rent under $600 and stricter notice on how to do so. The landlord will notify the tenant of the eviction.
Business advocates have worked tirelessly on the council throughout the pandemic. A back and forth between rival advocates such as landlords and tenant groups has led to some compromises on eviction rules that change frequently during the pandemic. A year later, the council voted again to switch to a more tightly adjusted version of the bill at the request of management.
Some are planning on how they can be more proactive Push back the legislative tide. Hunter said he encourages landlords to run for the Advisory Neighborhood Council, the lowest level of local government. Restaurant owners hired former alderman-turned-local lobbyist David Catania to ease insurance burden, just as they lobbied for regulations friendly to the medical marijuana industry We are discussing advocating a law to
Complaints about the district’s high cost of liquor liability insurance go back decades. In 1985, The Post cited a bar owner’s insurance premium jumping from his $185 to his $26,500. A judge in Washington DC found the bar more responsible for the accident caused by the patron than a judge in Maryland or Virginia.
“This is something we had to work on a long time ago,” said John Guggenmoss, a restaurant owner and neighborhood advisor who is advocating legislation to reduce liability for bars. Told. He said the staffing shortages and soaring supplies plaguing the restaurant weren’t the city’s fault.
Guggenmoth said he asked insurance companies how much it would cost Logan Circle’s bar, Number Nine, to be in Maryland and got quotes for less than a tenth of what he was paying. “It will take legislative action to bring the rates down to levels similar to those in Virginia and Maryland.”
Lisa Dean, who runs a construction company, said she believes DC needs too high a level of insurance for a small company like hers.
But as a lifelong resident, she found the rewards outweighed the hassle.
“It’s different when you see an area or something you’ve worked on in action. It’s a great project being used by residents of your city,” she said. “When [the playing fields] Once finished, the kids could go outside and see them in action. ”
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