Constituent service isn’t always the coolest part of a politician’s job. A lawmaker intervening to solve a constituent’s specific problem rarely has the glamor of a heated floor debate or visit abroad.
But this is just what helped Harry Brown’s retain its General Motors franchise after GM tried to remove the Faribault business from its network.
The Faribault dealership Saturday hosted U.S. Sen. Al Franken and State Rep. Patti Fritz, a Democrat from Faribault, on a tour of the business to thank them and present them with certificates.
“It got to somebody who could take a look at our situation,” said Mike Brown, Harry Brown’s general manager. “(Franken) was able to break through the bureaucracy.”
The business initially tried on its own to persuade GM of the Faribault business’ worth, but the company couldn’t even find someone who would listen to arguments that Harry Brown’s was actually a strong, healthy franchise.
Fritz started working on their behalf after she learned about GM’s plans for the business. She concedes she didn’t go in ready to help them whatever the situation. She wanted to be sure the business really was a strong one.
But she was quickly won over and well worth saving. The company employs 75 employees in Faribault. She, herself, had bought 15 or 16 cars there over the years.
“This would have been a big void in our community,” she said. “You can’t lose a big business like that. That would have been a crushing blow for anyone setting up a business.”
She notified state Democratic leadership she was on the case and set to work pressing the issue. Someone eventually suggested she speak with Franken, and he visited Harry Brown in October — cautioning Fritz not to get her hopes up too high.
Yet he and his staff were eventually able to succeed. When Harry Brown’s showed its books to GM, the dealership persuaded the company it deserved to keep its franchise.
“It was hard for the staff to get it done,” Franken said. “But you hire good people, and they get the work done.”
Many dealerships weren’t as fortunate. Others that want their franchises back must go trough a Congressionally-established arbitration process that wasn’t signed into law until mid-December. By then, many had run through their financing or lost too many sales to resume business.
“This is a good law. Unfortunately, it may be too late for some people,” Franken said.
But that didn’t happen to Harry Brown’s thanks to the intervention of a couple of lawmakers.
