This weekend, I attended the Santa Fe Business Expo and Job Fair and had the opportunity to listen to the concerns of both job seekers and local companies looking to hire new workers.
As a local small business owner, I know firsthand what workers and small, local businesses are up against in this recession. And listening to the stories of other local businesses struggling to create good jobs, it's clear that we need to put much more priority on supporting local businesses, so they can, in turn, hire good people to work for good wages.
One way we can all help do this is to shop local, and encourage our friends and neighbors to do the same. Local businesses spend more money on local workers, keeping more money in our communities and not in the pockets of big out of state corporations.
So next time you have the choice, consider shopping at a local business instead of a big box store -- you'll get better service and you'll help our community to thrive. (And speaking of local businesses, a Saturday afternoon at the Farmer's Market is one of the best things you can do to support our local economy - and it's fun, too!)
Now's our time to give our local businesses the support they deserve.
As a citizen candidate, not a career politician, my priority is to listen to the needs and ideas of our community and take those ideas to the legislature - and if we all work together, we can create a vibrant, sustainable local economy here in Santa Fe that benefits all of us, not just career politicians and their cronies.