2. If elected Mayor, how will you entice businesses to (re)locate in Columbia when your own business is not located in the city of Columbia and its taxing district (approximately 1.8 miles outside as the crow flies)? How do you plan to justify your business location if even you weren’t willing to locate in Columbia?
Dennis Patton's Reply
Kevin Hutchinson's Reply
I will continue to work with business using the many tools the city has to offer.
I along with the city economic and community developer, administrator and others have negotiated many deals assisting and collaborating with existing and new business helping them do business in Columbia. Harres Furniture, Electro Door Services, Weber Chevrolet, Our House Coffee, Maverick Technologies, Hampton Hotel, The Falls Banquet Center, Metro Chrysler are just a few of the business we have assisted.
I have always done everything in my power to help and assist business development in Columbia.
Harold McCarty's Reply
We learned first hand how hard it was to work with the City of Columbia in trying to keep our business here, so this opened my eyes as to what problems Columbia created in keeping business and getting businesses to come here. It was not my choice to move out of city limits but every step of the way the building inspector and city hall made it so difficult, so costly and so time consuming that I was finally forced to give up and go another route. I got an entirely different experience with the County, in fact, Mike Faust and Dan Row came to me and promised that I would not have the problems I had with the City and I did not. Three days after I submitted my plans with the County I had a building permit. After 4 months with the City of Columbia, I still had nothing.
A question I have for our city government is this: Why is it only now after 3 years and I am running for office are they asking why I moved out? Also,I would like to note that at that same time we knew of other business having this same experience who also moved. I would like to note that we also could have moved across the river to St,. Louis which would have been cheaper for us, but the county actually came out and actively recruited us. I would like to take this kind of approach with potential new businesses or those wanting to relocate. I think that having experienced this first hand gives me a unique in site in to how to deal with retaining businesses and promoting new businesses moving in to Columbia.
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