Owned by a diverse group, neighborhood small businesses have been the backbone of East Boston’s local economy for decades and it’s Sen. Lydia Edward’s goal to continue to give the small businesses that dot the neighborhood the strength and state support they need going forward.
Edwards was recently appointed the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business. The committee considers all matters concerning commercial establishments, the establishment of economic districts and local planning commissions, urban renewal plans, and other such matters.
In the wake of the COVID pandemic, which hit small businesses particularly hard over the past two years, Edwards said she wants to ensure a bright future for our local economic engines.
“I got a lot of small businesses in my district who are rightfully trying to figure a pathway forward,” said Edwards. “Part of the chairmanship is passing the laws and having hearings but it is also making sure that the laws are working, the grants are getting to the people that they need to get to, and that we’re thinking creatively on how to save our small businesses and ensure they develop and recover. We need to thrive.”
Edwards has met with the senate’s Vice Chair of the Committee, Edward Kennedy of West Roxbury and the two have decided to conduct a listening tour roadshow to meet with small business owners across the state.
“There’s gonna be an influx of American Recovery Act funds and some of it is going to go directly to small businesses,” said Edwards. “Some of its going to go to support and infrastructure we need to help small business businesses thrive. We need to think about how we’re moving. Expansion of the MBTA is a big deal with two new stops on the Green Line so we need to really start looking at the Red/Blue Line Connector and how that’s going to get funded. We are looking at a ferry system and how that’s going to get funded. All of these things support small businesses, all of them support community development and if we can get our transportation set up in a good way and use those funds for lasting infrastructure it can help local economies thrive.”
Edwards also plans on taking a look at some things that were expanded or allowed during the pandemic that may be worth continuing.
“You look at things like outdoor seating or cocktail delivery and how they helped get small businesses through the pandemic but the question for a lot of us is, “Is it here to stay?” said Edwards. “And if it is here to stay, how do we improve it and make it something that every small business has access to. So when we’re talking about small business and community development, we’re talking about recovery from the pandemic and that’s going to take more than just passing money out. It’s going to take those good conversations that I’ve submitted to the and people are brutally honest about how their government is or isn’t working for them. I want to have those conversations in as many languages as possible. So I’m really honored to be named Chair and proud to start this work on behalf of all the small businesses out there.”