Support Your Community by Supporting Local Business

In the top corner of many issues of the Criterion News Advertiser, "Support your community by supporting local business" appears. YES! Metuchen and Edison are fortunate to have the Criterion: the largest Free, Mailed Circulation Weekly Publication in New Jersey. www.CriterionNews.com For years my father, Marty Jessen, published his "Marty's Musings" in the Crit to rave reviews. He even got fan mail! The front page is all about what's going on in the community from churches, temples, libraries, Chamber of Commerces, townwide garage sales, flea markets, bake sales, concerts, plays, Bingo, community outreach, even paper shredding. You name it, if it's going on about town you'll find it there - I Love the Brainy Boro! Open up the paper and you will find the "Crit Classified" section. Services, garage sales, help wanted, work wanted, wanted to buy, for rent, pets, and tutoring ads abound. Victorian Office Rentals advertises in the "Office Space" section every week, and it works! There is a "Business Services Guide" where you can find carpeting & flooring, electrical, fencing, hauling, landscaping, lawn sprinklers, masonry, paving, plumbing, pool services, remodeling, roofing and tree service advertising. You will find real estate, insurance, medical, accounting, and legal companies advertising. The Criterion is an example of TARGET marketing - local businesses advertising to a local customer base. In this week's Criterion I placed a circular about, "How Did Metuchen Get The 'Brainy Borough' Nickname?" and "What does 'I Love Brainy Boro' have to do with the Metuchen Downtown Alliance?" One of the goals of the MDA as defined in the proposed ordinance is "marketing, advertising, public relations and events." Doesn't that already exist as demonstrated by the Criterion, which conveniently arrives in your mailbox? Should we raise the taxes on many of the businesses that are already TARGET marketing in the Crit? Take a look at the April 27, 2016, Criterion flyer - you decide... What Does "I LOVE BRAINY BORO" Have To Do With The METUCHEN DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE? On May 2, 2016 at 7:30 PM, at Metuchen Borough Hall, a PUBLIC HEARING is scheduled regarding "Ordinance 2016-10 Creating a Special Improvement District within the Borough of Metuchen," called the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA). The goals of the MDA are as follows: (1) Beautification, Cleanliness, Maintenance and Design Standards • It is the responsibility of the Borough of Metuchen to create a lifeline in the form of new sidewalks, parking meters, street sweepers, and a welcoming environment for business owners at boro hall. A new image will attract and retain businesses, not a difficult-to-navigate taxing MDA bureaucracy. Businesses are already struggling to pay the high property taxes. (2) Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Events • Today's entrepreneurs compete in an Internet enhanced economy that allows them to efficiently TARGET market to their customers. Technology changes quickly - do bureaucracies keep up? (3) Business Recruitment and Retention • The MDA is funded with a new $275,000 per year tax increase on property owners within the district and all the taxpayers of Metuchen via contributions by the Metuchen Parking Authority. Where is the written plan on how the MDA is going to recruit new businesses? Raising the rents on small business owners—in a challenging economy—is not the solution to the empty storefronts. (4) Coordination of downtown activities and clearinghouse for information • Metuchen already has an active Chamber of Commerce with an excellent informational website and a great volunteer base. The Chamber hosts numerous exciting events and informative business development seminars. Money doesn't grow on trees...by forcing businesses to contribute to the redundant MDA via taxation, the Chamber will predictably suffer membership loss. When someone is paid to do a job, there is an inevitable loss of volunteerism—the heartbeat of our community. (5) Integration of new developments with existing business district The Borough of Metuchen needs to address the neglect of the downtown and create an inviting streetscape to integrate the traditional downtown with the new development. There are resources in place that have been poorly managed, but are showing recent signs of improvement. An MDA is not necessary to accomplish the five goals. The only way to stop this bad idea is for the citizens of Metuchen to attend the PUBLIC HEARING and SPEAK OUT! "I LOVE THE BRAINY BORO" is about using our brains and expressing the fact that government needs to get out of the way and give the risk-taking entrepreneurs free range! YOUR VOICE is the solution! Protect your wallet and fight this wasteful spending... EDUCATE YOURSELF, THINK, and SPEAK OUT at the MAY 2, 2016 7:30 PM PUBLIC HEARING! The only "veto" power YOU have over this tax increase is to JUST SAY "NO"!