We need to Ease the Squeeze on our local economy with better jobs and higher wages. We can only solve the fiscal and economic challenges we face with an aging workforce, a shrinking private sector, and stagnant wages, by growing our private sector economy and reducing our reliance on the federal government. We can do that by: embracing new industries looking for our purpose-driven and highly skilled workforce; transforming our world-class research into high-wage jobs; and targeting our public investments and utilizing our unparalleled assets to encourage families and businesses to invest in Montgomery County.

I’ve served at the intersection of the public and private sectors as a top advisor at the Board of Public Works, and as one of nine members appointed by the Governor to the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority where I actually provided financing to help small businesses start up and stay afloat in tough economic times. I plan to bring that same forward-focused, results-oriented approach to the County Council so we can grow an economy that meets our needs without sacrificing our high quality of life or high level of service.

Embracing New Industries

We must wake up to the regional competition in which we now find ourselves for businesses, families, and young workers. We need to focus on the industries and lifestyles for now and twenty years from now, not from twenty and thirty years ago, to make it more desirable to move here, to live here, and to start and grow a business here, and to make it easier to get around with better land-use policies and transportation infrastructure so we aren’t choking our economic opportunities before they have a chance to breathe. Above all, we need to modernize our county government so it’s more efficient, effective, and nimble – when a resident or small business is dealing with the county, we should be making their day, not ruining it, improving their life or their ability to grow their businesses, not impeding it.

Supporting Existing Businesses

Any sustainable economic development strategy must start by taking care of the 32,500 businesses we already have, finding out what they need and helping them to grow. Currently, 96 percent of Montgomery County’s businesses have fewer than 50 employees and 83 percent have ten employees or fewer. A successful economic ecosystem must turn more of our small businesses into larger ones, which then in turn, will support smaller businesses by using them for services and as sub-contractors.

Capitalizing on Core Assets

Whether or not we are ultimately selected, the fact that Montgomery County is part of the Top 20 for Amazon’s HQ2 demonstrates how marketable our core assets truly are: purpose-driven people, world-class talent, livable communities, and proximity to the Capital of the Free World. We have all the tools we need to succeed in attracting and retaining businesses, but must ensure that our newly established Economic Development Corporation has the financial resources and political independence required to compete regionally and nationally.