It never hurts to have your voice heard, especially by someone who knows your pain. And at least for small businesses in Rhode Island, that someone is Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee.
McKee comes from a family of small-business founders and owners, starting with his grandfather, who founded an ice cream company in 1900. Today his brothers operate McKee Bros. Oil Corp.
The six-time Cumberland mayor has used his office, which makes him chair of the Small Business Advocacy Council, to highlight the issues that matter to the vast majority of business owners in Rhode Island.
It is a perspective that is not entirely in step with the Raimondo administration’s approach to economic development, with many of its tax-incentive programs having been designed by the governor and the R.I. Commerce Corp. for larger companies. And while McKee sees the value in this most-bang-for-the-buck approach, he feels that the state’s more modest enterprises deserve some love, too.
McKee has gathered a few ideas he believes could make a difference.
First, keep electricity costs stable. Second, gradually increase the state’s minimum wage. In both cases, predictability is as important as keeping costs down. Given enough time, an entrepreneur can avoid the mad scramble that comes with unexpected cost swings, and manage a healthier enterprise.
And on the issue of paid sick leave, McKee makes the case that businesses of different sizes have differing abilities to shoulder not just the cost but the resulting manpower issues. Businesses with more than 50 employees can much more easily shoulder the disruption of staff time off than ones with fewer than 10.
McKee’s efforts have not been given much visibility so far. But perhaps they should in the future.
