The Roundup: Why Molly's Not Mad About the Millionaires Tax
From the Editor
What's up, South End?
It's been a long week, but I'm happy we've made it to a much-needed weekend.
For the past few weeks, we've heard every angle of the proposed "Millionaires Tax," and last week, Washington State made national headlines when the law was passed.
There was so much commentary to parse through, but one angle that caught my eye was John Schneider, the Seahawks' general manager, saying he believes the new tax on high earners would negatively impact the Seahawks' ability to attract free agents.
Which sounds pretty ridiculous, considering multiple states with professional sports teams have these taxes, including California, and the Los Angeles Lakers have never had a problem attracting free agents.
I think it's important to hear from locals on issues like these. I recently had a chance to chat with Molly Moon Neitzel, founder and CEO of Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, which currently has 11 locations (including a Columbia City storefront) with one more on the way and about 200 employees. Neitzel penned an op-ed in the Puget Sound Business Journal in support of the new tax.
"I think people should know that the Millionaires Tax is going to help K-12 education, help the public child care funds, and help working families' pocketbooks," she told me. "And it's not something that average Washingtonians should be scared of. It's something we should be excited about. The tax system is starting to become more equalized."
I spoke with Neitzel about why she supports the tax, how it will impact local small businesses, and, unexpectedly, why she believes communities felt more connected in the '90s.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
MD: What made you want to write the op-ed? As a business owner, you could have just sat this one out.
MMN: That's not really my style. I knew that there was a great deal of debate in the legislature, and I think that it's always interesting that new taxes, and taxes in general in Washington State, are often misunderstood. It's always good to just get more information out there about what is being discussed and how it will affect people. So, I wanted to write a pretty succinct, clarifying op-ed about how when you tax very few wealthy folks for programs that are for the greater good, what it looks like. So that's what I did. And I did hear from a number of folks in Olympia that when the house was debating that long, 24-hour debate about it, that it did sort of buoy the spirits of folks as they were having that long debate and trying to get all the amendments passed that they wanted to and get the law over the finish line.
MD: I've heard a lot of debate on both sides of this, but one of the loudest arguments in opposition is this: If we raise the tax on high earners, business owners will pack up and leave our state. Which will mean fewer jobs and ultimately be bad for our community. What do you say to that argument?
MMN: All I can really say is that I'm not leaving the state. I can't leave the state. This is where my business is. I have 12 ice cream shops in this state serving these communities, selling ice cream to these folks. I think it's sort of ridiculous to say we're going to go to all these other states that have income taxes — Washington State is one of the most friendly states to rich people in the entire nation. I don't believe the threat that people are going to leave, especially small-business owners who have built their businesses here, who have customers here.
People who have extreme wealth don't spend money in their own communities like working families do. What we need are working families to have more money in their pockets so that they can continue to spend money in their communities.
MD: How does this tax benefit the small businesses that are operating in our communities every day?
MMN: When working people and middle-income people have what they need, they support the businesses in their communities. When people have what they need, whether it's their kids going to great public schools, fully funded K-12, affordable child care, all of which the Millionaires Tax can help fund — and they will have extra money in their pockets because it also supports the Working Families Tax Credit. That all means that they have the ability to support and to buy the things that they want and need from small businesses in their communities. That helps small businesses. That's how the local economy works.
MD: Can you talk about the importance of keeping small businesses in our communities and the relationships that small businesses build with the people who live there? For example, having a storefront on the main drag in Columbia City that attracts foot traffic from people just walking by.
MMN: Our shop in Columbia City is so important to me. Small businesses being in our communities, in our little business districts in our neighborhoods, it is so vital. It's really an absolute shame that big-box stores and big corporations have impacted the ability of small businesses to do what we do best over the last 40 or 50 years or so. Because small businesses aren't just business, they're not just a part of the economy, they're also community centers, and they play huge parts in neighborhood safety. We are one of the businesses that's open the latest in Columbia City, and that puts a big burden on us in terms of public safety, and we take that seriously. I wish that more small businesses were open later but it's hard. It's hard to stay open late, and you need the business to support it. And the culture of these big app companies delivering your food straight to your door has eroded the ability of small businesses to stay open late and to have in-person, real life interactions.
And lately, I think this last year in particular, I've sort of been like, "I just want to live life like the '90s." I was a teenager in the '90s, and I'm sorry, but it was better. We didn't have cellphones. There were no apps. There was no gig economy. You had to do things in real life. You had to look people in the eyes. You had to talk to each other. There was more respectful communication between each other. You had to get brave and speak up and be kind if you wanted something from someone. It was a whole different world. It felt like more things were possible between human beings.
An Announcement
Newsletter family, you are hearing it first: Emerald Executive Director Florangela Davila is going to sit down with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson for a Town Hall on security and surveillance on March 27.
As I'm sure y'all know, security and cameras in public have been a hot topic in Seattle going back to our last mayor. Surveillance, especially in BIPOC communities, is a complex issue and the Emerald is proud to be a part of the larger conversation.
But first, we need to hear from YOU.
Because you all are an important part of this community.
If you have questions, topics, concerns that you would like to be part of Florangela's conversation with Mayor Wilson, please send them my way ASAP.
You can reach me by email at: Voices@SeattleEmerald.org.
The Roundup Rundown
The news of sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez has been rippling through the community this week.
Contributor Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero spoke with Washington State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, who represents South Seattle and has worked closely with farm workers and other labor rights groups to create stronger protections in Washington State.
Speaking about the allegations, Saldaña said, "When it came public, it was just heartbreaking and devastating, I just, I broke. This has got to stop, the violence and the silence has got to stop."
There are many institutions in our region named after Chavez, including a garden at El Centro de la Raza in Beacon Hill and an affordable housing project operated by Sea Mar Community Health Centers in South Park. Jacquelyn reports that both orgs are considering changing the names.
The Seattle Police Department announced Tuesday it made an arrest in the shooting that took the lives of two South End youth in Rainier Beach months ago. The name of the alleged shooter hasn't been released, but the person in custody is a teenager.
Emerald founder Marcus Harrison Green wrote an op-ed about what this means for our community and how all of us can step up and make a difference before tragedies like this happen in the first place.
A new tiny house village is opening in Tukwila. And this village is doing things a little different: Instead of being for couples or individuals, this village will be for families.
Contributor Lauryn Bray reports the new facility will maintain a hygiene trailer and provide social services to residents, such as workforce development and recovery services.
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This is an abbreviated version of The Roundup newsletter. To get the entire newsletter, including a weekly list of events to check out and my shout-out to South End Gems, subscribe here. See you next week!
Mike Davis is the newsletter editor and Voices editor at the South Seattle Emerald. Born and raised in Seattle's South End, Mike is a longtime journalist who's covered everything from arts and culture to sports to politics.
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