JP Organization Seeks Help to Restore Small Biz Funding

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Alison Moronta, left, helps facilitate a meeting of business owners at The Haven on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

Chris Helms

Alison Moronta, left, helps facilitate a meeting of business owners at The Haven on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

Alison Moronta, left, helps facilitate a meeting of business owners at The Haven on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

Chris Helms

Alison Moronta, left, helps facilitate a meeting of business owners at The Haven on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

The JP Neighborhood Development Corp., known for its efforts at increasing affordable housing, is also an important backer of the neighborhood's small businesses. And the tax dollars that support a key program, Small Business Technical Assistance, aren't in the state Senate's budget (or the governor's, for that matter.)

Alison Moronta, business development director for the JPNDC, issued an urgent call at a Wednesday meeting of neighborhood business owners. She asked participants in a Hyde Jackson Main Street networking session at The Haven to call or write legislators, urging them to restore $2 million to the program.

David Warner, co-owner of City Feed, said he'd already contacted legislators.

"Our business wouldn't exist without the JPNDC," he told the crowd of about 20 business owners.

Sandra Storey, founder and publisher emeritus of the JP Gazette, has a detailed column about how the program has helped preserve and increase "buy local" options for the neighborhood. Storey also points out that while Gov. Charlie Baker's budget has no funding for Small Business Technical Assistance, it has $2 million elsewhere in the budget for similar efforts.

Moronta suggested these two methods of contacting lawmakers:

  1. Please call your Senator Sonia Chang Díaz (D-Jamaica Plain) at 617-722-1673 and ask her to co-sponsor Senator Eileen Donoghue’s budget amendment to include $2 million for Small Business Technical Assistance (Line Item 7002 -0040.) You might have the opportunity to speak with Angela Kim, Diáz' legislative aide, she will take your message.
  1. Please click on this link to quickly send an automatic email to your State Senator asking him or her to support Senator Donoghue’s budget amendment to fund the Small Business Technical Assistance Program at $2 million:  https://www.votervoice.net/MACDC/campaigns/40787/respond

Thursday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to file amendments.

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