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Politics & Government

Lake Forest Foundation Director Derives Positives from Forum

Group dynamics lend ideas to foundation's "Our American Voice" program.

Once a small business owner herself, Sheila Smith now runs the not-for-profit Barat Education Foundation dedicated to perpetuating the mission of Barat College, a former Lake Forest institution.

In particular, she fosters educational opportunities for young people.

Smith, executive director of the Barat Education Foundation, recently attended a small business round table in Glenview to see how State Representatives Karen May (D-Highland Park) and Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), a former mathematics professor at the University of Chicago, interacted with a group of entrepreneurs considering the current financial situation in Illinois. 

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“This was an opportunity to meet Daniel,” Smith said explaining one of her reasons for attending. “My husband supported his campaign and he (Biss) has an interest in education. I’ve always had great respect for Karen May.”

One of the Barat Foundation’s major programs, “Our American Voice,” trains middle school students to take ownership of an issue and lobby it with government representatives like May and Biss. 

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“I went to network with Daniel and Karen because we will have to teach our students how to do that when they take ownership of an issue,” said Smith.

She was also happy to see the group dynamic as something she can use in her programs at the Barat Foundation. 

What started as a gripe session by approximately 20 members of the small business community ended with the participants making concrete legislative suggestions to Biss and May. 

“They (the small business owners) expressed the anger that is permeating our country right now,” Smith said.

She described how the group transitioned from an angry assortment of entrepreneurs to a functioning company of contributors creating a constructive session. 

Participants started the meeting complaining about a potential increase in the state’s minimum wage, runaway litigation against commerce, lack of protection for entrepreneurial efforts, and fear of more tax increases. May and Biss calmed the group and turned the session productive. 

“They (May and Biss) stayed on point with the group,” said Smith. “You could see the calm come over the room.” 

May quelled concerns over the proposed minimum wage increase while Biss tackled the tax jitters. 

“If it gets out of the senate I will vote against it,” May said about the minimum wage boost. Biss gave a plausible rationale for no additional taxes. The meeting turned productive after May’s plea for suggestions. 

“You can take it as a given there is no one in the state who sees any likelihood of another tax increase,” said Biss calming the tax hike worries. “Any additional deficit reduction will be done by cutting spending.” 

After May reminded the group she was responsible for a law the eliminates the need to file quarterly tax returns—only annual now—while just making the payments as well as other legislative acts the attendees started to make concrete suggestions. 

“What Karen May has done to strengthen regulations has made (Illinois) much more conducive to small business,” said Smith, a former Clinton Administration advisor for small business.

May and Biss left with suggestions like forcing a losing plaintiff to pay legal fees in a class action, allowing operators who pay themselves a salary to collect unemployment when they have no money to pay themselves and extending individual consumer protection against banking practices  to small business accounts.

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