Cervania: Purposeful Leadership is Critical to Economic Recovery
Cary, NC — The following opinion piece was written by Wake County Commissioner, Maria Cervania.
Economic Recovery Should Be Top Priority
Between the creation of an Anglo-Saxon Caucus in Congress and the slew of lawsuits against the American Rescue Plan, distractions abound in today’s political arena. But one thing is certain: economic recovery should be the top priority for lawmakers in North Carolina, particularly for our state’s minority communities who have been hit especially hard by the pandemic’s economic downturn.
With that re-prioritization must come a recognition of the engines that are truly driving that recovery – small business, innovation, and technology. All of which, as we have seen this past year, are integrally connected here in North Carolina.
Using Technology as a Partner
Technology has uplifted our small business community, particularly during the pandemic. When COVID-19 forced all non-essential businesses to close, companies had no choice but to rethink their day-to-day operations. Technology enabled them to do so, and this was particularly true of minority-owned businesses. Recent data from the Connected Commerce Council (3C) confirms that POC-led businesses were hit hardest by the pandemic, but they were also more likely to leverage digital platforms to sustain their operations.
With the recent announcements made by Apple and Google to invest significantly in the Triangle area, the need to view technology as a partner has become increasingly clear. The industry employed almost 270,000 people and contributed to over 21 percent of our total sales revenue in 2019. This growth will only build, as we are predicted to be the second fastest-growing tech state in the next five years.
At the national level, much attention has been paid to the technology industry. Conversations in Congress and in the media have been curiously focused on issues ranging from the size of its largest companies, their privacy policies, content moderation, and others.
These conversations are more about politics than substance. In Raleigh, we have even seen lawmakers push forward with legislation targeting online platforms for “censorship” of political and religious speech, despite an undeniable need for these very platforms to address the widespread hateful and misinformed content that has spread like wildfire before, during, and after the election.
This list goes on, and no doubt it is important that these conversations continue. But why now? At a moment when economic recovery is on the minds of every American, it seems counterproductive to direct important legislative energy – not to mention resources – toward a sector we know is a partner in our recovery.
Puting Legislative Energy into Citizens’ Priorities
Fortunately, most of our political leaders in North Carolina remain focused on what really matters, letting the needs of their constituents guide their priorities. Attorney General Josh Stein, for instance, has rightfully placed the majority of his focus on consumer protection issues in recent months, devoting resources towards addressing telemarketing and robocalls, the top complaint in his office’s 2020 annual consumer report.
With so much work to be done to rebuild our economy, we must remain laser-focused on recovery. Government officials should be responsive to the constituencies they are sworn to protect, not engaging in political gamesmanship. Wasting time with anti-technology policies and partisan bickering – when residents across North Carolina are still struggling to make ends meet and put food on their tables – is not the leadership that we need right now. The time for relief and recovery has been long overdue; let’s not delay any further.
Story by Maria Cervania, Wake County Commissioner representing District 3.
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