Small businesses felt snubbed by congressman

As a small-business owner, I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress as both a constituent and a member of the National Federation of Independent Business. I was tasked to meet with my congressman, Rep. Sean Casten, and represent the nearly 400 NFIB members in his district.

Although attempts were made weeks in advance to schedule an appointment with congressman Casten, I was instead scheduled to meet with his legislative director. While Rep. Casten was in his office at the time, I was stood up by his legislative director and ended up meeting with an assistant who took notes, during a 20-minute meeting, that would fit on a matchbook. I have been traveling to Washington, D.C., at my own expense for over 25 years to voice the concerns of local small businesses. Prior to this trip, I have never been told that my representative, or any of the Illinois delegation, were unable to meet with me.

In contrast, I attended a very productive meeting with Rep. Robin Kelly of the Illinois 2nd District. Rep. Kelly excused herself from a committee meeting to take the time to meet with us along with her legislative director.

Unfortunately, I must assume that Rep. Casten has no interest in discussing the pros and cons of proposed federal legislation that has been selected by over 300,000 small businesses from all 50 states, as the most pertinent to their day-to-day operations.

Robert Goray

Cary