Editorial: State Must Support Our Community Business
“I have to keep one move ahead in this chess game that I – and other small business owners – am playing against restrictive state government policies,” stated Bill Berlinski, owner of the Northwest Sporting Goods & Supply.
I had the opportunity to visit Bill’s store on a snowy Tuesday morning in late February. Patrons were milling about, as 80’s hits played softly in the background.
The aisles, neatly organized, are comprised of hunting and fishing equipment. Rifles are racked on the back wall, with an assortment of handguns in protective glass cases ready for sale. However, less people are visiting the store for hunting and fishing purposes, which was the whole reason Bill got into the business in the first place.
“We are shrinking in some places, forcing my hand to expand into other areas that I could not have envisioned when I started this store,” explained Bill, “I used to have 6 full-time employees, now I am down to a part-time staff and one full-time guy.”
Bill made references to the constant cuts that programs, which foster fishing and hunting, face at the state level, annually. Such line-items include pheasant stocking and fish hatchery funding – programs designed to maintain a healthy population of fish and game for the enjoyment of all sportsmen in our state.
These programs go beyond enjoyment – they also translate into the prosperity of local businesses who supply our hunters and fishermen. Historically, the legislature has diverted monies, ear marked for fishing and game stocking, into the general fund, which is why these programs perpetually appear on the legislative chopping block.
Consequently, Bill has expanded his operations. His store now concentrates on facilitating NRA pistol permit courses, archery, landscaping and lawn care supplies, along with storage.
I am gravely concerned for small businesses, which may not share the same flexibility as Northwest Sporting Goods & Supply, and the viability of their operations within the state, specifically up in the Northwest Corner.
It is critical that we, as a legislature, preserve programs that support our sportsmen’s community. We also must consider the ripple effect of the laws we pass in Hartford and the diminishing clientele base of our community businesses. The operating deficit projections for our state budget for the coming years, $2.2 billion for Fiscal Year 2018 and $2.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2019, do not provide any comfort to Bill and business owners like him.
Sincerely,
Jay Case
State Representative, 63rd District