Council Candidate Urges Support For IGH Small Business Owners

Inver Grove Heights City Council Candidate Paul Hark is proposing that the city council allow local small businesses the opportunity to address the council and give a short overview of what services or products their small business provides local residents.

“Every candidate running for local office talks about supporting our local business community, but I have not heard one specific idea on how to accomplish this,” Hark said in a prepared statement to Patch. “Why not allow the owners of local small businesses five or ten minutes to address the council and explain their businesses to the council?"

Hark continued: "Not only will the city council learn more about the businesses, but the business will gain visibility because the meetings are all broadcast on local TV and also streamed on the internet.”

Hark says that rules would need to be drafted to ensure that only local small businesses are allowed to participate, and the council would have to agree on how often these sessions would be held. 

Hark believes Council could give up 15 or 20 minutes once a month help promote the local small business community.

"The city needs to continually look for methods to promote the local business community, and holding these types of sessions does not cost Inver Grove Heights any money, and can only help the local business community," he said.