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Former East Side Market employee urges council help after sudden closure leaves ~20 workers unemployed
Summary
A former East Side Market employee told council the market shut abruptly, leaving roughly 20–21 employees without jobs or benefits and depriving local seniors of a nearby grocery; the speaker asked council and his councilmember for answers and assistance.
Damon Smith, who said he was an employee at the East Side Market, told council the market was shut down late and that about 20–21 employees lost their jobs and benefits when the city did not renew the lease and the market was closed.
"Now you have 20 employees that don't have a job," Smith said, adding that seniors who relied on the market now lack nearby grocery access and that some residents cannot drive or easily use transit. He said employees’ benefits were cut and argued the decision removed $148,000 in community economic activity.
Smith asked for answers from his council member and for the council to consider options to restore food access in the neighborhood. Other council members later said the administration had been in touch with Neon employees and discussed job-placement assistance and a potential project team to attract a grocery store to the East Side.
The council did not take a formal vote or adopt a specific assistance program during the meeting; members said they would pursue follow-up and job-placement discussions with the administration.
