Candidate for BP Luisi Calls for More Than One Business District on Island

Staten Island, NY (PRWEB) October 21, 2009

John Luisi, (Democrat and Working Families) candidate for Borough President, questioned the current Borough President's lack of leadership in promoting the small businesses of Staten Island today in front of the Walgreens pharmacy that actually ajoins the adjacent CVS pharmacy on Forest Avenue at Decker Avenue in Port Richmond.

In the 20 years the current Borough President has been in Borough Hall, nothing has been done to address the loss of small businesses; however he has consistently promoted only big box stores over Island-owned main street stores.

"Because of this administration's policies towards 'Main Street' small businesses, Islanders who used to walk to community centers for essentials are now forced to drive to mammoth, super chain stores. Very little of the money spent in these stores returns to the Island economy; in fact, it costs us greatly, far more than the small discount attained there." Luisi commented. "The backbone of this country and our communities is the small business. Thousands of Island small business owners have lamented over the Administration's treatment by the institution of hyper-inspections, the reinstatement of the City's portion of the sales tax and the expansion of parking meters on Island streets opposite small businesses which need to be fed hourly, are all seen by many business owners as simply anti-business."    

Recent reports in the Staten Island Advance cite the dozens of small businesses currently closed along major thoroughfares. "Rather than allow two chain pharmacies to be built next to each other as we see here, I would seek first to promote local pharmacies (like Tompkinsville Pharmacy, that I use) which promote personalized services like home delivery and much lower rates of mistaken prescription fills than chain pharmacies, because these local stores know their neighbors and what drugs they require."    

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