67 



Gentlemen, they don't buy it, neither do I, and neither 

 should you. I'm a lawyer by training and trade, and I've 

 practiced in the public sector, so I know at least one thing: it's 

 always easy to find a way to say "no." But that's what SBA did: 

 once again, the SBA was unable to find a way to do what needs 

 to be done -- give relief to fishermen living with economic 

 disaster due to federal regulations. 



Faced with this dilemma, what do I ask of you? First, that 

 you prevail upon the SBA to reverse itself and provide the 

 subsidized loan assistance that can keep some of our struggling 

 fishermen afloat. 



And I ask that as Mayor of a City that has already done its 

 share. In Gloucester, we have run Economic Development 

 Administration grants through local revolving loan funds to 

 leverage funding for a number of valuable shoreside and vessel 

 investment opportunities. We've even put the City's own money 

 on the line, using funds secured by HUD section 108 

 guarantees, to provide more fisheries financial assistance. 



What is my second request? If the SBA will not reverse 

 itself, then I ask that you take this program away from them and 

 give it and its money to a federal agency that will keep its 

 promises to help our fishermen. The disaster SBA will not 

 acknowledge is too far along - we have no more time for the 

 bureaucratically faint of heart. 



