Queen of the Bondo

Unemployment affects more than just the individual worker and his or her family — it can have a negative effect on the entire local economy. Although (I hope!) my resume alone is enough incentive for you to hire me, here are ten reasons why adding me to your team would help the Cleveland economy:

1. I don’t have a car. This means that when I am working, the money I’m not spending on a car is going toward local businesses – such as the Capitol Theatre, Loganberry Books, and Papa Nick’s. (Keep in mind that according to Chris Balish, author of How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, you can save about $8,000 a year by not having a car. That’s a lot of pizza, antique children’s books, and movie tickets.)

2. Because I don’t have a car, my money would be going to RTA, and strong cities have good public transportation. However, RTA loses ridership numbers (and money) the longer I remain out of the workforce.

3. I pledge to donate 10% of the income that you pay me to local nonprofits.

4. I am happy to pay taxes that pay for essential city services. I live in the city of Cleveland, and a strong city = a strong regional economy.

5. I am a responsible homeowner. If I don’t find gainful employment, I will be forced to sell my house and move. Which means that an irresponsible person could move in and drive down the property values of my neighbors, which in turn could drive down the whole neighborhood.

6. The money I’m not making is money that’s not going to those workers who I would engage to help improve my house. Such as the contractors I would hire to rebuild my missing fireplace, install a new floor, and finish my attic — until I get a job, they’re going unpaid, too.

7. I shop at locally owned stores for 95% of my purchases. If it is not available locally, I usually don’t buy it.

8. My money is exclusively tied up in local banks — not the banks that were “too big to fail.”

9. Tourists spend money! One of my professional specialties is cultural heritage preservation, and I am vocal about promoting cultural heritage tourism.

10. Although I enjoy freelance work, its irregular nature ensures that I don’t spend as much on luxury purchases (such as trips to the Old Angle) as I would if I had a regular income stream.