We’re in the heat of a presidential election year, and politics is regularly on many laundry operators’ minds. Most wonder: What’s going to happen in Washington, DC, and how will that affect my business-operating environment?

While federal laws and regulations are critical, experts caution against overlooking events closer to home. Profits, after all, are more often affected by ordinances passed in city halls than by what comes out of the White House and the U.S. Congress.

“National politics tends to get all the headlines,” says Cliff Ennico, an attorney based in Fairfield, CT, who counsels clients on business matters. “But ...