Reflections on Seattle elections By Jan Teague, President/CEO
It's amazing how close the top three candidates for Mayor are in early voting results.
When 400 to 500 votes separate the top three, it reminds me just how important it is to vote. This is the first time that Seattle has done an all mail-in vote and elections officials do expect about a 35 percent return, so it is too early to say who the top two candidates will be.
But why is the current Mayor Greg Nickels running third with all of the opportunity that he has to be out in the public, on TV, and with an e-mailed newsletter that promotes him with all of his community good deeds? One can only guess that those who decided to vote in the primary were those who cared about all of the disappointments they experienced under his leadership.
Nickels' campaign to pass a bag tax is just one example of voter dissatisfaction with his ideas. The bag tax is failing and those voters probably wanted someone else, even if it was just a different face. Retailers in particular were very unhappy with the lack of response to needed snow removal last winter that further dropped sales during the height of the recession.
Perhaps more retailers voted this year. This is an idea that I really hope to be true with so many stores supporting the tax base of the city. Let's hope that regardless of the election results, either a newly-elected mayor or a more attuned Mayor Nickels' response to retailers will be a bit more positive and supportive as we try to climb out of this recession.
WRA Board of Directors annual elections
Board of Directors positions are now open at the Washington Retail Association. Please consider participating on the Board.
WRA's Board of Directors has the responsibility of directing the affairs of the Association, determining its policies, overseeing finances, and adopting the legislative agenda. The Board also participates in the planning and evaluation process for both long-range government affairs goals and association operating objectives.
The Board meets three times each year and has opportunities to chair or participate on committees such as the Small Business Committee, the Human Resource Committee and the Government Affairs Committee.
Each legislative session the Board meets in Olympia and spends time talking with leaders of the House and Senate. The Board also meets with the Governor or Chief of staff to discuss WRA priorities.
If you would like to consider serving on the Washington Retail Association Board of Directors, please contact Jan Teague at 360-943-9198 ext. 19 or email her at jteague@retailassociation.org
Seattle voters reject tax on shopping bags
Seattle voters soundly rejected a proposed 20-cent per shopping bag tax in this week's primary elections.
Early returns had Referendum 1 going down in a 58 percent to 42 percent defeat.
The proposal would have imposed a 20 cent per bag fee on shoppers choosing to use disposable plastic or paper shopping bags at groceries, convenience marts and drug stores.
The Washington Retail Association opposed the referendum, which resulted from a protest following the City Council's approval of a bag tax ordinance last year. WRA advocated recycling and the use of reusable shopping bags instead of a tax.
"The Washington Retail Association is pleased that Seattle voters rejected the tax on shopping bags," said Mark Johnson, WRA's Vice President of Government Affairs. "It means that we can promote the use of reusable bags and recycling to make a positive impact on the environment without removing choices for shoppers."
WRA also noted that Seattle businesses might have been hurt by consumers visiting stores outside city limits to avoid paying the tax.
"WRA and its members stand ready to work with the ordinance proponents on creative and workable solutions," Johnson said.
Research showed a bag tax would have had scant impact on Seattle's waste stream, reducing yearly garbage output by just .0014 percent.
Candidates advance for Legislature seats
Two Republicans and a Democrat appeared to be leading in Tuesday's primaries for three open seats in the Washington State House of Representatives.
The races are for seats representing southeastern and southcentral Washington in District 9, which includes Pullman and Cheney; District 15, including Sunnyside and Goldendale; and District 16, including Pasco and Walla Walla. Candidates who finish in first and second place in the primary vote counts advance to the final Nov. 3 election.
Republican Susan Fagan, a public relations executive with a Pullman high tech manufacturer, was leading with 29 percent of the vote for the District 9 seat left vacant after Rep. Steve Hailey, R-Mesa, died of colon cancer last December. Hailey's widow, Pat, a farmer and rancher, held on to second place with 25.64 percent of the vote ahead of Democrat Glen Stockwell, who owns transportation and investing companies, with 25.24 percent of the vote.
Republican David Taylor of Moxee attracted 65 percent of the vote in the District 15 race, leaving him well ahead of Democrat John Gotts, who pulled almost 19 percent of the vote. Gotts filed no photo, statement or resume with the Secretary of State. Democrat Donicio Marichalar, a consultant, had nearly 16 percent of early returns. Taylor, a rancher, won appointment to the House of Representatives earlier this year when Republican Dan Newhouse was named Director of the Department of Agriculture.
In the District 16 election, incumbent Democrat Laura Grant got 46 percent of the vote, finishing ahead of Republican Terry Nealey, who had 37 percent of the votes in early returns. Grant, who is a teacher, was appointed to succeed her father, Rep. Bill Grant, who died in office. Nealey in a Dayton lawyer.
"The Washington Retail Association will review the candidates to determine if we will make endorsements or make financial contributions in any of these three races," said Mark Johnson, WRA's Vice President of Government Affairs. "We look forward to working with whoever winds up representing these three fine districts."
To follow vote counting in these races, click here.
WRA choice picked on state's Organized Retail Crime Task Force
Former Auburn police department Commander Greg Wood is the Washington Retail Association's representative on the new state Organized Retail Crime Task Force.
Wood currently is Group Assets Protection Team leader for a Target stores division covering the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Northern Idaho.
Among the task force's jobs in the coming year will be reviewing the Legislature's decision to raise the felony theft threshold from $250 to $750. The task force will function in an advisory role to the Legislature.
Wood, a native of Auburn, was a member of that city's police department from 1991 to 2007, when he left to join Target Corporation. He was a patrol commander whose jurisdiction included investigations of retail crimes at the Auburn SuperMall.
Wood's family also operated a furniture and appliance store from 1949 to 2000.
"I'm very honored to be chosen to serve on the task force," Wood said. "I think I'll bring a unique perspective having served in law enforcement."
WRA hopes that the task force will be able to identify solutions to the growing problem of pharmacy robberies involving suspects in search of drugs. Such solutions could include legislation to increase the penalties for convictions of such crimes.
Re-seller's permits go out in the mail next month
Qualified Washington businesses are scheduled to receive new free permits next month that will qualify them to avoid paying sales taxes on items they intend to re-sell as part of their business.
The new re-sellers permits, issued by the Department of Revenue, came about as a result of a bill passed in the 2009 Legislature. As of Jan. 1, they will replace the current resale certificates.
The bill's aim was to reduce abuses involving businesses that downloaded certificates from the Internet and illegally avoided paying sales taxes because they never intended to re-sell the items they purchased.
The permits now must be reviewed by the Department of Revenue and issued by the department, not downloaded from the Internet.
Revenue is scheduled to make three mailings related to the permits in September. The first, going in the mail on Sept. 2, will be to qualified contractors, who will receive a permit application. The second, in the mail on Sept. 8, will be to pre-screened non-contractor businesses and will include the new permit. A third mailing, going out on Sept. 14, will go to businesses that do not appear to qualify for a permit, though instructions on applying for a permit will be included.
Rob Rice, the Revenue Department assistant director overseeing the issuing of the new permits, said his staff is prepared for a possible flurry of calls from retailers, both sellers and buyers.
"Our phone center will be prepared to answer quite a few phone calls," Rice said at a planning meeting this week.
In short, permit holders must provide all the businesses where they buy equipment with a copy of the permit, just as they did with resale certificates. Holders of existing permits are advised to retain them on file for five years to prepare for the possibility of tax audits.
To obtain an application for the new permits or to read more about it, click here. Or, contact Revenue by phone at 800-647-7706.
Source: Department of Revenue
Shared Work helps companies avoid layoffs
More than 2,000 businesses statewide have used a state program to avoid layoffs in the current recession.
The state's Shared Work program allows full-time employees to collect a portion of their unemployment benefits to partially compensate for lost wages if faltering business has forced their employer to reduce hours.
About 42,000 employees statewide are participating in the program, said Karen Lee, Employment Security Commissioner.
The program also allows employees to retain their company benefits, Lee said.
"The depth and breadth of this recession is prompting a much broader array of companies to learn about and join the Shared-Work Program," Lee said. "We hear over and over how grateful they are to be able to offer this option to their employees."
For more information about the program, click here.
Two small business workshops coming next two months
Two free small business workshops are scheduled in the next two months.
The first is the Washington Small Business Fair on September 12 at Renton Technical College. It requires no pre-registration and will include unpaid speakers, no private vendors or selling allowed.
Seminars will range from understanding taxes to business planning and from marketing to starting a Website. A list of exhibitors is posted at the fair's Website, www.bizfair.org. You can also visit the site for directions to the college and updates about the fair.
The second workshop is Oct. 7, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Broadway. It will occur the first day of a two-day Governor's Industrial Safety & Health Conference.
Both workshops will be stressing recession survival skills. To pre-register for the Tacoma event, visit www.wagovconf.org/SmallBusiness.htm.
Website offers health care comparisons
The Kaiser Family Foundation Website includes a helpful report for clarifying the complexities of health care reform and how the various states compare in providing health care coverage.
Kaiser is a non-profit, private foundation focusing on major health care issues in the United State.
A link on its Website, http://www.kff.org/, offers health care analysis from several perspectives. The report includes interactive tables and maps and presents a variety of state-level economic and health care data that help illustrate the different impacts of potential health reform on the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
It isn't always smart to make a fashion statement with your shoes if your job requires practicality.
Lack of attention to foot safety often results in needless workplace injuries, said Patti Vernie, WRA's Safety Advisor.
Work-related foot injuries can include punctures, crushing, sprains and lacerations.
"You can avoid many foot related injuries by wearing safe and comfortable shoes," Vernie said.
Before you buy or select shoes for work, here are some tips:
*Besides the right fit, do the shoes have enough traction to prevent slips?
*Shop for shoes in the afternoon, when your feet are more likely to be at their largest, to get the best fit.
*Match the shoe to the job. In other words, don't wear slippers to the construction site or spiked heels on a slippery floor. Both mistakes can lead to fatigue, uncomfortable feet and worse yet, on-the-job injury.
Vernie is available to WRA members to make onsite safety inspections at workplaces. For more information, contact her at 360-943-9198, Ext. 21 or at patti@retailassociationservices.com
The Washington Retail Association, WRA, is a 501 C 6 trade association formed to advocate for Washington State’s retailers at the local, state and national level. Since 1987, the WRA has protected Washington's retailers from unreasonable taxes, fees, regulations and legislation. The efforts of the WRA benefit all Washington state retailers and help fuel statewide economic growth.
