By BILL ENLOE
Santa Fe

I read the letter written by Lisa Shin criticizing the current County Council for not addressing the wishes of the community for more local businesses and a more vibrant downtown. It is not a surprise that Los Alamos residents would like to see those things happen. Criticism of the local government for not having them is totally misguided. I don’t believe government should or can successfully subsidize private businesses. Which ones do they pick to support? How long will the government continue to support the businesses? What about the local businesses we currently have that have made it without government funding? 

Local governments can assist and encourage businesses through the enhancement of public land around the businesses. I believe Los Alamos County has done that and continues to do that in Los Alamos and White Rock. Zoning and licensing in Los Alamos are well thought out and not a general issue that restricts the establishment or success of businesses in the County. There have been issues with some businesses in meeting these requirements, but the requirements are well thought out and are not a systemic problem. Complaints about high rents are another misconception. As Lisa Shin pointed out, there are numerous vacancies in the business related real estate, and I can assure you these property owners don’t want empty space.

The truth is small business is a very difficult undertaking. It takes someone who has the capital to produce a product that lures customers away from the chains and online options. In addition, no matter what product they are providing, the business has to create enough volume of sales to pay the employees, rent, cost of goods, overhead, and have enough left over to live on. It is also usually necessary to convince a financial institution that they can execute all of these requirements in order to borrow money.

If this profile of people does not choose Los Alamos to start or expand their business, it is not going to happen. The success rate of small businesses is extremely low, and the smaller the community the harder it is to be successful because of fewer potential buyers. I think Los Alamos is fortunate to have the number of small businesses that do exist. Finding someone to blame is easy. Finding a real solution is much more difficult. The County government, along with the Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, does a good job supporting, promoting, and assisting small businesses in Los Alamos.