Regarding Matt Fountain’s article on the Downtown Association’s newly enforced requirement that “political vendors” are required to buy individual event liability insurance at $1,000 for about eight weeks’ worth of having a space at the market to set up their tables (“Marketplace of ideas?” Sept. 23): Clearly the cost of that insurance will eliminate almost all of the various small, local, non-food, nonprofit organizations, which would be a real shame, since the richness of the market experience depends on its wonderful variety of booths.
What’s not clear is why the Downtown
Association shouldn’t be the one to buy and carry an umbrella liability policy for the entire market, since they’re the lead organization that’s in charge of the overall event. In turn, they could pro-rate the cost of their event coverage and add that to the fee they charge to organizations wishing to get a booth, thereby spreading the cost and liability over all the participants.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 7, 2010.