[Winona Online Democracy] I need to agree with Paul on this one. All small businesses struggle otherwise they wouldn't be small businesses. Most of the shops in downtown are barely getting by. If you watch the paper, there is not much advertising from these businesses, because advertising is so expensive it can quickly take a small business down. If you use the argument that the Farmers Market is doing downtown a favor by being there, then the same would be true for any business that is there.
I personally do not agree with the City giving money to any business profit or non-profit for advertising or otherwise. The City should not the business of financially supporting hand picked business such as the Farmer's Market as suggested, or Shakespeare. Shakespeare is a business any way you look at it. It just happens to be under the auspices of non-profit. We have many other needy non-profit businesses in this town that could benefit from having 50-100 thousand dollars a year thrown their way. I do agree with the City spending money toward bettering the majority of the City. For example instead of having banners saying visit the farmers market it has a banner saying visit our Historical Downtown Winona. Instead of giving money to Shakespeare every year what about having the money go toward advertising All events in Winona All year around. It would be better use than seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars fly out of this City by way of Shakespeare. The claim is Shakespeare is a tourist attraction. So are the Art Festival, other plays including the St. Mary's Professional Series and other events that go on in this town. The difference with most of these is the money stays in town. For Shakespeare how many meals at restaurants need to be sold, hotel rooms occupied, and items bought by tourists to put $600,000 a year back into this town? Not the best investment in my view. The City should not be in the business of supporting other businesses, profit or non-profit. Can you imagine if Churches and other charities came to the City and asked for money? Every other non-profit and for profit business need to fend for themselves. I don't think we should get into the practice of asking the City to support them or Paul is right taxes will be so high no one will be able to live in Winona. Janice Turek Quoting Scott Lowery <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > [Winona Online Democracy] > > Just a quick reply to Paul's free market critique of my modest > suggestion on behalf of the Winona Farmer's Market. Maybe I could > agree with his approach if the economic situation for food producers > was anything like the level playing field conjured up by Paul's > philosophy. First, we'd have to eliminate all the hidden subsidies > which support the agricultural-industrial complex with our tax > dollars. Let's see, how about the Corps of Engineers, the Interstate > Highway system, the vast labyrinth of agricultural subsidies that > keep agric-biz produce prices artificially low for happy big box > shoppers. How about all the public costs of monitoring and sometimes > cleaning up after potentially toxic "modern" agricultural practices? > Gee, the cost to the City of a few signs or newspaper ads in support > of local, sustainable growers doesn't look too bad, does it? > > Scott Lowery > > Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 20:23:17 -0500 > From: "Paul Double" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: FW: [Winona] Re: Planning > To: "Online Democracy" <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > The ink isn't even on a plan yet and the line and ideas are starting to > raise my taxes. How about they raise their prices to afford to pay for > their own advertising, provide their own gas money plus charge enough to > make a profit for their time and energy? > > Paul Double > > Behalf Of Scott Lowery > Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 11:00 PM > > "I'd like to see the City provide some free advertising, at > least some sort of banners or signs which would direct the casual > weekend traveller toward the market. These businesses are all quite > small and probably unable among themselves to generate enough profit > to fuel a major advertising campaign... and my point is that they're > doing Downtown a favor by being there." > > -- > ------------ > sent by: > > Scott Lowery > 461 Sunnyview Drive, Rollingstone MN 55969 > home phone: (507)689-4532 > school phone: (507)454-9587 (Winona Area Learning Center) > home email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > school email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > _______________________________________________ > This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy > All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. > No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. > To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit > http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona > Any problems or suggestions can be directed to > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page > at > http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org > _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
