(The Center Square) – Small Business Advocacy Council President Elliott Richardson prides himself on tirelessly pushing the envelope when it comes to making life more bearable for Chicago small business owners.
“Small businesses really could use a point person at City Hall to help them through the process,” Richardson told The Center Square. “If they’re denied a permit or a license, understanding the reason is important so that they can go and fix that as quickly as possible. Those are some of the things that could be done.”
Richardson’s never-ending crusade to make life easier for his constituents comes as Mayor Brandon Johnson recently launched his Cut Red Tape initiative. Some hope the initiative cut bureaucracy, creating transparency and granting more access to critical resources.
All told, more than 30 chambers of commerce, business organizations and lawmakers have publicly thrown their support behind the reform efforts, with Richardson being among those who have been hard at work supporting the cause for at least the last year.
“Some of the things that policymakers can do now is to make changes to zoning so small businesses don’t need to spend unreasonable amounts of time and money trying to open or to grow their businesses,” he said. “Things that could be looked at are eliminating antiquated and unnecessary special use permits. Time is money for small businesses and simply waiting for too long to get a permit or a license can really drain a small business of its cash flow.”
With a growing number of small businesses across the city now struggling with higher costs related to inflation, tariffs, labor and health care, Richardson said stabilizing the industry stands to benefit the masses.
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“It fosters economic development; it fosters neighborhood revitalization,” he said. “Those businesses can go out and hire people from the community. People looking for jobs win, and workforce development improves neighborhood revitalization. The more successful and robust small businesses you have on a commercial corridor or in a neighborhood, the more foot traffic you’re generating, the more tax revenue you’re generating.”
Overseen by the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Cut Red Tape comes on the heels of the city’s spring 2024 plan to streamline residential and commercial development.
