City eying $500 charge to Staten Island businesses for FDNY's safety checks
By Tracey Porpora, Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While Mayor Michael Bloomberg professes to be an advocate of small-business owners, he's proposing that merchants pony up as much as $500 for annual fire safety inspections -- a service that's currently conducted free of charge by the FDNY. Read more here.

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City Council should shelve the paid sick leave bill
By Staten Island Advance Editorial

Politicians of both parties almost seem to be in a competition to praise small businesses as often as possible this campaign season, but the New York City Council hasn't gotten the memo. Read more here.

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A perk the boss can't afford:
City Council wants to give small-biz workers paid time off - a benefit some of their employers can rarely take
By Eilene Zimmerman

Doreen Zayer, who has owned a Staten Island spa for 17 years, can't remember the last time she took a sick day. In fact, pregnant with her son shortly after starting the business, "I worked on my due date," she recalled.

Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121021/LABOR_UNIONS/310219965#ixzz2AEQJ2M7w

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NEW YORK - A friend recently told me about a decades-old family business that was facing the possibility of extinction. He said the owners of the company were struggling with a financial crisis and "unless a miracle were to occur," the business would permanently shut down within weeks. The owners, he said, seemed to have given up hope. Read more here.