All in this together? Restaurant closures show that’s not even close

Elected officials from both parties like to say that “we’re all in this fight together” against the coronavirus. But, while we are all adversely affected by the pandemic, many of us remain at full salary, often working from the comfort of our living rooms.

In contrast, the lives of small business owners — namely the restaurateurs, bar owners, and their employees who add so much value financially and culturally to Anne Arundel County — are being devastated by the coronavirus mandates.

The unequal burden became even more glaring this week when County Executive Steuart Pittman banned indoor/outdoor dining for the seemingly random period of four weeks. After legal pressure, the restrictions were tweaked to allow limited outdoor dining, but this minor concession does little to ease the massive burden forced on restaurant owners. If anything, it highlights the extreme uncertainty faced by those whose livelihoods apparently dependent on one man’s whims.

If we, as a community, agree that such restrictions are necessary, then we must shoulder the burden together. Our local elected officials should consider donating a portion of their salaries to a fund for suffering businesses.

They should also work together to pass an emergency one-time tax that asks those in our community who have not had their incomes affected to pay their fair share in this fight. Let’s show our struggling friends and neighbors that we are actually in this together. Otherwise, let’s admit that some are far more “in this” than others.

We are not Annapolis restaurant owners or employees looking for salvation. We are co-owners of a small business that isn’t in the food-service industry and doesn’t serve clients in Anne Arundel County. As small business owners, we know that the scariest business climate — worse even than a recession — is an environment of chaos, where one day you can operate normally and the next you’re effectively closed by government edict.

That said, you don’t need to own a business to know the obvious truth: Many small restaurants will close their doors, never to reopen. Dreams, livelihoods, jobs and more will be lost — unless our elected officials and the community-at-large step up to share the sacrifice our leaders have imposed.

We know many have volunteered in the intervening months to help our friends and neighbors. It’s heartening to read about efforts like food drives, which help ease some financial pain.

But these efforts don’t pay for anyone’s bank debt, rent, car payments, college tuition or Christmas gifts for their children. And they don’t make up for years — often decades — of sweat, toil, and sacrifice that small business owners undertake to build their dream. A one-time, emergency tax and its resultant fund would create some semblance of fairness by spreading the pain and allowing our neighbors to continue pursuing their community-enhancing endeavors.

Many will balk at this call to action, and for good reason. It’s unpleasant to have government leaders unexpectedly dip their hands into your pockets and, well, dismantle your dreams, laying waste to years of hard work and sacrifice.

Perhaps, when confronted with the specter of directly paying for shutdowns — like many small business owners are — we as a community might look more critically at these mandates.