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As Attorney General Maura Haley, the gubernatorial candidate, rummaged through a rack of Columbia jeans and teased a shiny pair of pants at a Chelsea boutique Monday morning, she questioned the owner about supply chain problems and vowed to address them. She should win the corner office next month.
Maria Barrientos, the mother of Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Kim Driscoll’s campaign manager, said shipping costs have doubled — and prices for other goods are high — amid the economic slowdown.
But Barrientos says she’s “very confident” with the help of her son, Juan Gallego, who works for Driscoll & Haley’s All-Woman Ticket for small businesses in Chelsea and Massachusetts.
“We have an incredibly active and growing Latino community in Massachusetts, and I think Latinos are underserved and underserved,” Haley told reporters Monday morning in downtown Chelsea. He visited Janet’s Beauty Salon, which struggled to get relief from the federal government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“Latinos are a huge economic engine for our economy here in Massachusetts,” Healy continued. We know the Latino community has been disproportionately hit when it comes to Covid and its aftermath. We know that more can be done not only to support and protect, but also to further empower and create opportunities for economic growth.
Following their small business trip to Chelsea, Haley and Driscoll were scheduled to tour other Commonwealth regions on Monday, gathering more insights into the economic woes of Latin American states and refining their policy approach to providing much-needed financial relief and education and job training.
Healy reflected on a salon owner who met with 20 employees, saying small businesses are “connected to the community” — which in turn translates to 20 families in need of support, the attorney general said.
“Certainly, many of our small business owners and small business owners have been incredibly resilient through this pandemic,” Haley said. But what they lack is really the availability of capital and financing, and that’s something we want to work on, state and local, partnering with the business community to support and transform the future.
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Healy has pointed to specific programs — and eligibility criteria — the future administration could create if she defeats former state Rep. Jeff Diehl, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in November’s general election. Instead, Haley said, “everything has to be on the table.”
Salem Mayor Driscoll, who previously served as Chelsea’s deputy city manager, said storefront improvement programs could represent another opportunity for state-local partnerships. Those technical assistance dollars help businesses thrive as they pursue capital investments, Driscoll said.
“There are barriers to achieving what we need to break down,” Driscoll said. “We definitely want to put that on the table to make sure we’re going to business owners — it’s not going to be a case of business owners coming to local government.”
Reflecting on her roots and the example left by Chelsea, Driscoll says it’s a city that has always faced challenges – but has overcome them through the tenacity of small business owners.
“A lot of new entrepreneurs, people who are new to our country, have come here, and with these small business opportunities, they’ve sent their kids to school, put food on their table, put a roof over their head,” Driscoll said. “It’s great to see them thrive as part of their recovery efforts, and (I) hope to be part of a team that continues to support them in those efforts.”
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