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By Miriam Raftery
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| East County Chamber of Commerce President Mike Cully (left) and membership director Regina Williamson (right) present new member plaque to ECM Editor Miriam Raftery and Marketing Director Leon Thompson. |
Mike Cully, president of the East County Chamber of Commerce, was at Election
Central in Golden Hall downtown as the announcement was made that Barack
Obama had won the presidency. “Drivers were honking horns. There was
so much enthusiasm,” he recalled, adding that Obama’s ability to
inspire people to work together “espouses what it means to be an American.” Noting
that the stock market rallied up 300 points upon news of the presidential race
outcome, he observed that Obama’s victory “instills hope in people—and
hope is more tangible than you can imagine. It’s what drives America--and
it’s what drives business.”
A Republican, Cully none-the-less believes that Obama’s victory bodes
well for the business community and the nation amid the current economic crisis. “McCain
had no fresh ideas,” he said. “You can’t rest on your
laurels like the Republicans have been doing. This is change at the top.” Conceptually,
he believes Obama’s ideas are good, though may need some fleshing out.
Cully also hopes to see the housing market begin to recover, fueling growth
in the economy overall.
He congratulated Duncan D. Hunter on winning election to Congress and Assemblyman
Joel Anderson on reelection to the Assembly. Both are Republicans.
Cully expressed surprise that amid today’s tough economic times, East
County voters approved an increase in the sales tax in El Cajon and La Mesa,
as well as passing Proposition U, a school bond measure for the Grossmont Union
High School District. The Chamber opposed the sales tax increase but supported
the school bond measure, which Chamber leaders view as an investment in schools
and students’ futures. The majority of County voters (over 63%)
also voted for Proposition A, which would have raised parcel taxes on property
to fund fire protection and fire district consolidation, however the measure
failed because it required a two-thirds plurality.
“This has been an interesting scenario from the viewpoint of our region,” he
said. “We are faced with a dilemma. In these challenging
times, people are losing jobs and losing homes, the worst since the Depression. At
the same time, we have cities asking for sales tax increases.”
Short term he predicts a negative impact on local merchants from the sales
tax hikes, based on historical trends. But he acknowledged, “Long
term, nobody wants to open a business in a place without infrastructure to
support it.” If voters had not approved the sales tax increases,
the cities faced cuts in police and fire protection. “What business
would want to relocated in an areas no police or fire services?”
El Cajon and La Mesa and La Mesa are not alone. “We are in the
majority of cities statewide that approved sales tax increases on the ballot,” Cully
noted. “In a good way, the voters are stepping up.”
Obama has pledged tax cuts for the middle class and small business owners
netting $250,000 or less. But even business owners earning more than
that could see benefits if customers have more money to spend and the economy
improves. An Obama administration and Democratic Congress may also ease
the healthcare cost burden on businesses and provide financial incentives for
investments in conservation and sustainable energy.
Cully expressed optimism for the future, noting that Obama stood on his own
merits to win overwhelming support of the American people. “It’s
a different world,” he concluded. “We can take a positive
approach…Chambers, just like anybody else, have to ride this sea of
change.”
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