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On Capitol Hill, mayor greeted with applause, protesters as she announces Seattle Small Business Advisory Council

Mayor Jenny Durkan got the full Capitol Hill experience Thursday as she came to the neighborhood for a Pike/Pine walking tour and to announce the formation of Seattle’s first Small Business Advisory Council. The new mayor met a collection of Capitol Hill entrepreneurs, grabbed a latte at Vita — and got a momentary earful from protesters who briefly disrupted her announcement inside Elliott Bay Book Company before being shuffled out of the store where police awaited outside.

One was arrested, dozens of local business representatives applauded the new council, and Mayor Durkan did what she could to roll with the punches and get down to the business of small business in Seattle.

“As we grow as a city we want to make sure that we are able to preserve those parts of Seattle that we cherish the most,” Durkan said with a large collection of Capitol Hill area  And one of those things is that eclectic feel of every neighborhood. And that often hinges on the small businesses that are located there.”

Signing an Executive Order at Elliott Bay Book Company, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan established the Seattle’s first Small Business Advisory Council (SBAC). Tasked with ensuring small businesses have a role in informing policies and programs as well as access to resources, the council will provide input on impact of City decisions, make policy recommendations, and help increase access to tools and resources available to small businesses.

“Inventing the future and supporting vibrant neighborhoods means supporting small businesses that call Seattle home. Our small businesses must be a part of solving our urgent challenges of affordability and growth,” said Mayor Durkan. “With this first ever council, Seattle’s diverse and innovative small businesses will have a voice in City Hall and be a part of creating and crafting solutions.”

Durkan also announced the appointment of four co-chairs — two have strong Capitol Hill ties. Donna Moodie, owner of E Union’s Marjorie Restaurant and CEO of Mint Holding food and design company, and Tracy Taylor, manager of Elliott Bay will be joined by Joe Fugere, owner of Tutta BellaTaylor Hoang, restaurateur and head of the Ethnic Business Coalition.

Durkan was introduced for her remarks by Peter Aaron who brought his book store to Capitol Hill in 2010. Earlier in the day, she toured Pike/Pine businesses including Sugarpill Apothecary, the expansive office of Molly Moon’s, Everyday Music, Caffe Vita — where she ordered a short latte, Retrofit Home, and Cupcake Royale where she was enthusiastically greeted by owner Jody Hall with a swag bag from her company, Goodship, a maker of marijuana edibles. “There’s no product in there,” Hall assured.

At Sugarpill, owner Karen Schwartz gave the mayor a yellow calcite stone. “For optimism,” Schwartz said, telling the mayor her needs as a Capitol Hill shop owner are issues of social services, homelessness, addiction, and affordability. “We’re all running social services out of our businesses,” she said. She also asked Durkan to help make areas like Capitol Hill more affordable. “Workers need to live where they work.”

Meanwhile, Molly Moon Neitzel and staff from the E Pine-based ice cream company told Durkan of their successful 2017 initiative for the demographics of Molly Moon employees to be “more diverse” than Seattle. The company is also in the process of transitioning to “B Corp” status — “for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.” Moon Neitzel told Durkan she started the company and shaped it with social goals out a sense of responsibility to the community. “Because I can do better,” Moon Neitzel said.

Durkan heard more about the need for homelessness services and diversion over policing in stops at Rancho Bravo and Vita where workers are often on the frontline of trying to help people facing addiction and living on the streets.

According to the mayor’s office, the SBAC charter will be determined by February 1st, with the first meeting by March 1. “SBAC members will represent businesses of different sizes, different industries, different neighborhoods, and from different sectors, stages, and ownership models and will include under-represented entrepreneurs: women, immigrants, refugees people of color, and the LGBTQ community,” according to the mayor’s announcement.

Durkan also reiterated her opposition to a so-called head tax to help pay for homelessness services in Seattle. The city council has budgeted for a progressive revenue tax force in 2018 that could re-kindle the employee hours tax that was at the center of this year’s budget debate. Durkan said that, “as configured,” the current plan for the tax is a bad idea. She said any head tax would need to help “make sure we don’t harm small businesses.”

According to the city, Seattle has about 36,500 businesses with fewer than 50 employees that employ nearly 200,000 people.

The mayor’s appearance on the Hill and friendly greeting from the business community was marked by what will likely be a recurring theme for the former U.S. Attorney. “As U.S. Attorney, Jenny Durkan used a five time sex offender to impress two muslim men with mental health issues in a bogus terror plot,” the first protester began seconds into the mayor’s statements inside Elliott Bay.

“Jenny Durkan you’re a piece of shit,” she shouted, bringing a chorus of boos, “and you don’t represent the people of Seattle.” As the first female protester was escorted out, a male protester also inside the store also began to read his prepared statement as store staff tried to corral him and send him outside where police took him into custody without incident. Police at the scene said the protester would be booked for investigation of trespassing.

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Lokiloki
Lokiloki
6 years ago

Kudos to the mayor for supporting the small business and iconic spaces that make Capitol Hill and Seattle neighborhoods special. Much more needs to be done to support small businesses trying to survive the crushing wave of redevelopment, gentrification,and soaring rents for retail spaces.

Lokiloki
Lokiloki
6 years ago
Reply to  Lokiloki

Also, the protestors are ridiculous. Durkan has a strong progressive record. Stop vilifying her, spreading BS, and give her a chance.

Chmike
Chmike
6 years ago
Reply to  Lokiloki

The strong progressive durkan that employed a convicted sex offender to infiltrate activist communities, the strong progressive durkan that led raids on activists to collect books and clothing, or the strong progressive durkan that didn’t call for a mayors ouster until the 5th victim came forward? Which strong progressive do you speak of?

Fairly Obvious
Fairly Obvious
6 years ago
Reply to  Lokiloki

I think it’s the strong progressive Durkan that accepted $50,000 from Comcast and CenturyLink so that she could shrug and say:

“Shucks guys, looks like we’re stuck with another 5 years of Seattle telecom duopoly. Be sure to thank our benevolent ISPs for gouging you for terrible speeds!”

Ryan
Ryan
6 years ago

The picture of her talking to people eating their lunch at Rancho is comical.

Lokiloki
Lokiloki
6 years ago

I hear she was born in Kenya too!

Simon Says
Simon Says
6 years ago

Ah yes, clearly someone who might benefit from Ms. Durkan’s new free community college program. Might help her be a tad more rational.

Simon Says
Simon Says
6 years ago

You’d think Seattle just elected Mussolini judging by the reaction from the hysterics.

JTContinental
6 years ago

lol at that woman protesting Durkan’s “policies” when she’s been in office for two days.

Chmike
Chmike
6 years ago
Reply to  JTContinental

Lol at not knowing durkan’s terrible history.

Simon Says
Simon Says
6 years ago

Maybe we don’t think her history is terrible and aren’t hysterics.

Anyway, hope the anarchists boycott Elliot Bay books too now it’s clearly gone “alt-right”. They stink up the place.

Chris Lemoine
Chris Lemoine
6 years ago

I’m appalled at the attacks on Durkan here and what I’ve seen elsewhere. You can disagree with her on the issues, think her record is awful, or whatever, but she’s clearly qualified and working hard to make a go of it for the whole city, not just the rich. That five-location swearing-in-day event was good PR, but there’s also a good spirit behind it. This small business advisory council has huge potential for achieving good outcomes for the community. The misogyny and insults I see directed at the mayor from some of my liberal, progressive friends and neighbors are shameful.

Paul Blake
6 years ago

“Seattle Campaign Donors Small Business Advisory Council”

jane 5
jane 5
6 years ago

The two Muslim men were “mentally ill”? Both of them? If it was two alt-righters who were diagnosed as schizophrenic a long time ago the “mentally ill card” would not have been played. Note that guy in Portland who stabbed two people after being verbally hostile to 2 Muslim women had a history of mental illness but I don’t remember any activists supporting that mentally ill man . Sounds like someone has a little bias. More than little.