Group of Young Entrepreneurs Backs Erin Stewart for Mayor
Cites Stewart’s Passion for City’s Future, Willingness to Emphasize Business Assistance
A group of local entrepreneurs has announced its endorsement of Erin Stewart’s candidacy for mayor in a newly released video from the Stewart for New Britain campaign.
Rare Realities, an affordable clothing line based in New Britain, was founded by five New Britain High School graduates: Ricky Clark, Ashley Santana, Dominique Stellmacher, Kadeem Carson and Taijon Carson.
“Our small business started with a dream and a passion for fashion,” said Clark, who is Chief Operating Officer at Rare Realities. “We want to grow jobs in New Britain. We want to stay here and grow downtown, but we want a mayor who shares our passion for this city and its future. That’s why we are backing Erin Stewart for mayor. Erin will listen to small businesses like ours. She will bring a new generation of leadership to City Hall.”
Clark and the company’s co-founders said Stewart’s encouragement has been a big boost but working with the current city government has been frustrating. They noted that the business assistance program was eliminated from the city budget, and that as mayor, Stewart would restore the program.
“It’s tough to get a small business started in New Britain, to say the least,” Clark said. “There is this ‘figure it out yourself’ attitude when it comes to helping small businesses. It shouldn’t be that way. That’s the wrong message to send to the people who want to create jobs in our city.”
“With Erin as mayor, things will be different,” Clark added. “We know Erin. We see Erin around the community. She wants new small businesses to grow and thrive downtown and make the city vibrant again. She will work with small businesses to help them grow all over the city. She cares about the city’s future and wants to give back to the community, just like we do. If you want to see job growth in New Britain, Erin is the answer.”
“What I love about Erin is her energy, her passion and her vision for making New Britain a better place to live, work and do business in,” said Dominique Stellmacher. “That’s the leadership New Britain has got to have. She grew up here, went to school here, and has made something of herself. As a young woman and someone who wants to create jobs in New Britain, that’s inspiring to me. Erin wants to help business owners make their dreams a reality. She has our full support.”
Rare Realities has pledged to give back 5 percent of its proceeds to the community. The company’s co-founders are featured in the second of a series of videos being released by the Stewart for New Britain campaign.
