City Must Investigate Whether Crime is Impacting Small Business Insurance Rates
There is something afoot with high insurance rates impacting small businesses in Seattle.
Evidence is only anecdotal so far, but City Hall should quickly devote resources to study the issue and find the cause.
Some business owners say they already know the answer. Premium hikes in the last few years are the direct result of relentless street-level vandalism and property damage. High insurance is just another canary-in-the-coal-mine indicating deep public safety troubles across the city.
At a City Council panel of business owners and leaders on Feb. 9, Don Blakeney, executive director of the U-District Partnership, noted that 25 storefront windows in the neighborhood were smashed in recent weeks.