Small Business Advocate Can't Get Candidates to Show Up and Talk Contracting
Editor Jasmine McBride reports on small business advocate Lynn Pingol's failed attempt to organize an in-person debate on federal contracting policy ahead of Minnesota's Aug. 11 primary, despite 168 people registering to attend. Pingol says candidates responded with conditions on format, media access and control of the event, as Congress considers S.4390, a bill that would eliminate the SBA's 8(a) and Women-Owned Small Business programs. Pingol argues the broader federal direction is already narrowing opportunities for small businesses and is pushing Minnesota candidates to engage before the general election.
As federal rollbacks threaten longstanding small business contracting programs, Minneapolis-St. Paul small business advocate Lynn Pingol says she can’t get Minnesota’s own candidates for governor and U.S. Senate to show up and talk about it.
Pingol, CEO of MaKee Company and a small business development consultant, tried to organize an in-person debate ahead of the Aug. 11 primary focused entirely on small business policy, drawing on the model of a mayoral forum she ran last year for Minneapolis and St. Paul. She said 168 people registered to attend in person.
“I want you to tell me how I’m supposed to rally up the troops and inspire them to vote for the right people when we can’t get in front of them,” Pingol said during a recent appearance on “State of the Union,” a talk show on the Culture Shifts Media Network hosted by attorney Kevin Kimble.
Pingol said she deliberately avoided partnering with any advocacy nonprofit to keep the event neutral, framing it as a debate “about small businesses, for small businesses, by small businesses,” with five direct questions for candidates: familiarity with recent federal contracting policy changes, what they would do upon taking office, how they would work across the aisle, and what immediate steps they would commit to.
Despite that neutral framing, Pingol said several candidates responded with conditions, including requests to control the date, format or whether media could attend. One campaign, she said, told her directly that Republicans “got nothing to lose” in participating, so didn’t see the need to engage at all.
“They’re more than happy to sit down one-on-one in a controlled environment,” Pingol said. “But by all means, you know, the media has their own agenda… all of a sudden these conditions.”
Kimble said the pattern echoes what another advocate experienced organizing a candidate questionnaire in New Jersey’s last gubernatorial race, where only one of three candidates responded.
Federal contracting rules in flux
Pingol’s push comes as Congress considers legislation that could reshape federal contracting for small businesses nationally. S.4390, the Ending Discrimination in Government Contracting Act, was introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in April and would eliminate the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program and the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program, along with repealing the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 and ending Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) preferences at the U.S. Department of Transportation. A companion bill has been introduced in the House.
The bill has not gained co-sponsors and remains in committee, according to trade publications tracking federal contracting policy. Still, Pingol argues the broader direction, combined with an executive order restricting DEI-related contracting language and a slowdown in SBA’s 8(a) certification process, is already narrowing opportunities for small businesses regardless of whether S.4390 ultimately passes.
“This is not about DEI,” Pingol said. “This is an economic fight for small businesses to continue to have a participation in the broader field of things.”
Pingol pointed to Minnesota-specific data in her own research, including findings that a majority of the city of St. Paul’s contracting dollars go to businesses located outside the city, meaning that money doesn’t circulate back into the local economy. She’s urging small business owners to ask their city procurement directors directly what share of local contracts go to businesses based in their own community.
The SBA generally defines a small business as an independent firm with fewer than 500 employees, with revenue thresholds that vary by industry classification.
A broader ask
Pingol said she’s continuing to press Minnesota’s candidates ahead of the general election, including a possible offer to convene candidates in one-on-one meetings with small business owners if larger public forums don’t materialize. She’s also urging small business owners to publicly support advocacy efforts rather than staying anonymous out of fear of retaliation.
“I understand you have to put food on the table,” Pingol said, addressing small business owners directly. “But we have got to raise our heads a little bit.”
Kimble said the response from elected officials will likely determine how seriously the issue is treated going forward.
“If it’s a bad idea now, it’s going to be a bad idea later,” he said. “It’s never going to be a good time to fight for justice.”
Pingol’s research and policy proposals are available at her website, and she said her organization plans to convene a statewide council on small business contracting in the coming months.
For more information on S.4390, visit www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4390.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.