Dave Kerpen Envisions "Green Pages" to Turn Around Queens Small Businesses

As a Queens small business owner, I'm particularly concerned about the future of our borough's small businesses. Too many of our favorite shops and restaurants are closing, and our government isn't doing enough to help.

That's why I'm fighting for small business. I've already promised the people of Queens that if I am elected Borough President, I'll do away with the Borough President's chauffers and car, and turn the money we save into grants and loans for small businesses throughout the borough.

Now, I'm pleased to unveil my plans to given our borough's small businesses the 21st Century tools they need to survive this current financial crisis and expand their businesses moving into the future. Please take a moment to read my idea for the first online "Green Pages":

Dave Kerpen Envisions “Green Pages” To Turn Around Queens Small Businesses

An Eco-Friendly Yellow Pages, Kerpen’s Proposal Will Bring Every Queens Small Business on to Web and into Global Marketplace

Dave Kerpen announced an innovative plan today to use the office of the Borough President to help small businesses in Queens survive the borough’s current economic crisis. Kerpen’s plan calls for the creation of an online “Green Pages” directory, an eco-friendly “Yellow Pages” dedicated to promoting the goods and services of Queens small businesses.

“With so many Queens residents struggling financially, our borough’s local businesses have to look beyond our borders for customers,” explained Kerpen, a small business owner and Internet-marketing expert whose company, theKbuzz, is based at Atlas Park in Ridgewood, Queens. “Our borough’s small businesses are already great. All we need now is a bigger playing field to compete in. The Green Pages would enable every small business in Queens to set up shop on the Web for free and start selling to customers not just across the United States, but across the world.”

The Green Pages will do more than promote local businesses with a borough-wide directory of existing web pages, it will also offer any small business in Queens currently without a web page to get one for free. Kerpen said the cost of bringing every business in Queens onto the Web was minimal, because technological developments in social media sites such as Facebook have made it fast, easy, and free to set up a basic web page to promote a company. As Borough President, Kerpen will organize free tutorials in every neighborhood in Queens to walk small business owners through the basic steps of getting their businesses online and using the Internet to expand their customer base. Kerpen cited mom and pop specialty stores as examples of small businesses that would particularly benefit from the Green Pages.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve never used the Internet before, by the end of a single class, we’ll have your company up on the Web and ready for business,” said Kerpen.

To learn more about Borough President candidate Dave Kerpen’s fight to reform Queens government, join the conversation on his campaign’s official Facebook page: http://www.davekerpen.com/facebook

MAIN PHOTO: Dave Kerpen meets with Jake Gerson of The Fair, a home furnishings store in Glendale, Queens, established in 1938. INSERT: Dave and Joan Stack at her pet supply store Crazy for Animals also in Glendale.

Press Release on BP Spending...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 15^th, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT:

Morgan Pehme

press@davekerpen.com

Dave Kerpen Blasts Queens Borough President's Perks As "Insulting to Taxpayers"

Kerpen Calls On Marshall To Sell Her $85,436 Worth of Office Chairs and Give Money To Families Losing Their Homes and Jobs

Dave Kerpen almost fell out of his chair reading the shocking exposé in this morning's Daily News into Helen Marshall's lavish spending on office perks - a chair, he notes, that only cost him $100.

Just last week, Kerpen announced that if he is elected Borough President of Queens he will immediately do away with Marshall's taxpayer-funded team of chauffeurs and fancy town car and put that money into loans and grants for Queens small business owners. Now, it comes out in the News that Marshall spent $103,000 last year on luxurious furniture for her office, including $85,436 on chairs.

"The Borough President's spending isn't just fiscally irresponsible, it's insulting to Queens taxpayers," said Kerpen. "Thousands of residents of our borough have lost or are in danger of losing their jobs and Helen Marshall is spending $4,985 on drapes for her office. How can the Borough President justify spending $5,000 to refurbish her desk and cabinet when Queens has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the county? I call on Helen Marshall to immediately sell off all of this furniture and give this money to Queens families losing their homes and jobs."

Kerpen charged that among the Borough President's other egregious expenditures cited by the News exposé were $4,994 for picture frames and $2,208 for a backdrop banner.

Furniture is far from the Queens Borough President's only regal excess, reports the News. Marshall also spends $50,000 a year on a professional photographer to make sure she has plenty of shots to promote her public appearances.

According to the News article, Marshall's largest pet project, a $21.3 million glass atrium for the rear of Queens Borough Hall, is now on hold "due to the budget crunch". Dave Kerpen said he was surprised to read about the change of status in the $21.3 million glass atrium, since only last month The Astoria Times reported that Marshall was moving forward with the project and hosted a pre-bid conference on February 13^th, 2009 at Borough Hall to discuss the atrium. Since then, Marshall has made no public statement indicating that she had changed her mind about moving forward with her plans.

"I am proud that our campaign to reform the wasteful ways of Borough Hall is already working," said Kerpen about Marshall's apparent sudden change of heart about her atrium. "At a time when two hospitals have just closed in Queens, we can't afford to build the Borough President a glass palace. I hope Helen Marshall continues to listen to me and sells her $103,000 in office furniture immediately to help Queens families losing their jobs and homes."

To support Borough President candidate Dave Kerpen's fight to reform Queens government, sign up on his campaign's official Facebook page: http://davekerpen.com/facebook

Borough President's Excessive Spending

Today, The Daily News came out with a piece on how Borough Presidents are currently spending ridiculous sums of money and floating under the radar. When hypothesizing about the reason behind this spend, the author writes: "The answer is that they occupy offices of such powerless irrelevance that they pass their days largely unscrutinized. The public's money is there for the taking, so they take it."

The Borough President's role is currently seen as a position filled with ribbon-cutting, proclamation signing, and, of course, a chauffeur that escorts the BP around like royalty. Now, the Borough President has purchased some new furniture for her office-- $103,000 dollars worth, to be exact. And, of the 60 million allocated towards capital projects in our borough, 20 million had been placed towards a glass atrium for Borough Hall-- although, according to the Daily News, is now suddenly on hold due to the "budget crunch".

The Borough President's spending is more than just fiscally irresponsible, it is insulting to Queens taxpayers. Thousands of residents in our borough have lost or are in danger of losing their jobs and Helen Marshall is spending $4985 on drapes for her office. How can the Borough President justify spending $5,000 to refurbish her desk and cabinet when Queens has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country?

This is precisely why I formed an exploratory committee to run for the Office of Queens Borough President. Through prudent spending, and real action plans to help prepare small businesses in Queens to deal with our current economic condition, the role of Borough President can be revitalized, creating a "Better Queens" for all of us.

To read about my platform for a potential Borough President campaign, please visit davekerpen.com

A Big Announcement: I've Formed an Exploratory Committee for Queens Borough President

Yesterday I made a big announcement in Astoria in front of over 100 friends, family, and supporters. I have formed an exploratory committee to help determine whether I will seek the Borough President of Queens position in the 2009 election.

Michael Harris of The Examiner has an excellent report here. Please visit my political Facebook Page to join the conversation.

Facebook for Local Politicians...Starting with Me!

I happen to have a word of mouth and social media marketing company, and we happen to be doing a lot of work with Facebook, and, in case you haven't noticed, Facebook happens to be exploding, with over 150 million users and growing at the rate of 12 million per month.

So, despite the unsure waters of the current political scene in Queens, NY, I'm moving forward with building my own politcal fan page on Facebook - and hope to help other local politicians build their support, using Facebook and other social media.

After all, I think another politician did a pretty good job last year garnering support on Facebook and social media...and now he lives in the White House.

Congrats to Liz Crowley; Bittersweet for Me

Today I attended 2 political events in Queens: First, the installation of officer of the JFK Regular Democratic Club (I am an officer), later, my friend Elizabeth Crowley's inauguration to the City Council. They were both a who's who of NY politics, featuring Senator Chuck Schumer, Congress members Anthony Weiner and Carolyn Maloney, and over a dozen City Council members and Assemblymen and women.
My family came to the first event, and that was fun- and it was with great pride, admiration and excitement that I watched Elizabeth get sworn in by Christine Quinn.

Yet the day was bittersweet, as my own immediate political future has been made quite uncertain by the recent development of Mark Weprin announcing his intention to run for the seat I'm currently running for.

I'm trying to take things day by day, and trust in faith and the universe, but I will admit, it has been very hard, as this is something my family, friends and I have worked very hard for over the last year. Time will tell. In the meantime, I'm working hard to help out my friends in politics and working hard to build my marketing firm theKbuzz. We might even help bring Facebook to fellow politicians.

It's On! Post-Holiday Fundraiser Bash coming January 7th

It's the 8th Annual Fancy Schmancy, the 2nd Annual Vote for Dave Kerpen Fancy Schmancy Fundraiser, and it's first ever post-New Year's Fancy Schmancy! It's coming Wednesday, January 7th, from 6pm-9pm at the beautiful Trattoria Lucia restaurant in our district in Bellerose, and I hope you can make it! RSVP info to follow soon!