Home Depot

The New York Times has an article about Home Depot setting up shop in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Everyone seems to be thrilled about the development -- except for a few local politicians:

Some local leaders are restrained, though, in their assessment of the store's benefits for Bedford-Stuyvesant.

"On the positive side," said City Councilman Albert Vann, who represents the area, "a big-box store like Home Depot in Bed-Stuy provides sizable employment of local residents and discount prices for supplies and materials used by homeowners and contractors. When you go for the big box, there's also some negative impact. I've been told that there's a local paint store and some hardware stores whose sales are down."

He and a community leader, Colvin W. Grannum, said the company had not hired some people they had referred for jobs. "For this to be mutually beneficial," said Mr. Grannum, president of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, an agency set up in 1967 to revitalize the impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhood and create jobs, "there has to be opportunity not just for shopping, but for new jobs to flow to local residents."

So they're bummed out because local residents have been able to save money at the store -- hence the lowered sales elsewhere -- and because Home Depot won't play the political patronage game and give employment to people hand-picked by the politicians. If Bed-Stuy improves it will be because of businesses like Home Depot and despite politicians like Albert Vann.