Tomorrow is Election Day, but if you’re like most Americans, it will be just another Tuesday. After all, why does it matter who we elect for City Council, Town Commission and School Board? Do these people really have any impact on our daily lives?
The answer, of course, is YES. In many ways, your local elected officials can impact your daily life far more than the Governor, your congressman, or even the President himself. Are you a homeowner who cares about your property tax rate and the resale value of your home? Then you should care who sits on your county commission, since they decide how much you pay each year. Are you a Realtor® who wants to sell more homes? Then you should care about what our Mayor and City Council are doing to attract more jobs and create a better economic climate for Charlotte.
Maybe you’re an apartment developer who had to pass on a project because burdensome stormwater regulations made it impossible for the numbers to work. Or a homebuilder who wants to make sure the City doesn’t pass rules dictating how much trim you’ll have to put on your front elevation. Maybe you’re a landlord who doesn’t want to pay a proposed registration fee on every rental property you own. Or a commercial broker who doesn’t want to lose a new retail tenant because of costly streetscape requirements that could kill a good deal.
Few industries are regulated as heavily as the real estate industry – and the bulk of those regulations are proposed, debated and approved by the people who sit on Charlotte City Council and local Town Boards. These elected officials can impact YOUR ability to make a living, pay your employees and provide for your family’s future. And YOU have a BIG say in whether or not they stay in office: all you have to do is VOTE.
So now that you know WHY it matters, you may be asking WHO should get your vote. That’s where we can help. While REBIC does not endorse candidates, we do provide financial support through SPPACE for those who we believe will be effective advocates for the interests of our industry. SPPACE, the Shelter Providers Political Action Committee, sends questionnaires to every candidate who qualifies to run and makes their responses available through our website.
And to make things even easier, we’ve created a handy 2011 SPPACE Election Guide, which you can download HERE. Just print it out and take it to the polls tomorrow for an easy reference on who SPPACE has supported in this critical election season. Even better, pass copies around to your colleagues at the office and around town, and remind them of how important their vote will be! Not sure where you vote? Just click HERE.
There’s not much you can do about the national economy, buyer confidence or the stock market. But by taking just a few minutes out of your day tomorrow, you CAN do something that will help create a better economic climate for your business, your industry, and for the Charlotte region as a whole. Get out and VOTE – because it really DOES matter.
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