"Montogmery's Growth Policy in Challenging Times"

Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office at the Sunday, January 24th discussion: “Montgomery’s Growth Policy in Challenging Times” that took place in the Roseborough Building Community Room on the Asbury Methodist Village campus off of Odendhal Road, in Gaithersburg.

The guest speakers/panelists were: Mr. Rollin Stanley, the Planning Commission Director; County Council President, Nancy Floreen and Councilmember Marc Elrich. This program was hosted by and was the inaugural event of four cooperating Democratic Clubs: D-15, D-17, D-39 and the Asbury Democratic Club.

Mr. Stanley was the lead speaker and his presentation offered up an overview of the history and future vision for Montgomery County. Mr. Stanley touched on how Montgomery County needs to change with regard to development density and also touched on the very real shifts with regard to the over all demographic make up of Montgomery County in the years ahead and the very real impacts these changes will have on our local economy.

Council President Floreen followed and focused her remarks on the need to look beyond mere “plans” and how critical it was for Montgomery County to figure out how to create more jobs because without jobs Montgomery County wouldn’t have the necessary economic resources to fund all these exciting plans.

Councilmember Elrich provided a sobering sense of the realities facing the County with regard to the present, ongoing and future infrastructure needs of our schools, roads, water, etc, and how Montgomery County needed to do a better job of getting all the interested parties to work together in order to fund these critical needs. He felt that ultimately this was a quality of life issue and that all the various vested interests had to work collectively in order to properly fund and maintain these infrastructure needs.

The event was very well attended and a good discussion took place during the Q&A period after each of the speakers had made their initial presentations.

The Trachtenberg Office attends Press Conference of the Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force

The Trachtenberg Office was represented at today’s Press Conference on the release of the Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force’s Report entitled “Biosciences Strategy: Montgomery County’s Strategy for Developing a World-Renown Life Sciences Industry." The Report was presented to Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, by the Task Force Chiar David Mott, at the Shady Grove Innovation Center.

As part of a series of aggressive initiatives to strengthen and grow the County’s vital bioscience community and preserve its role as a local and regional economic engine, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, working in conjunction with the County’s Department of Economic Development (DED), brought together in 2008 the best and brightest from throughout the biotech industry to serve on the new Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force. The Task Force has 34 members.

The Task Force identified a number of opportunities and challenges facing Montgomery County’s biosciences industry and has recommended the following to the County in it's December 2009 Report:

1) Enhance the environment for entrepreneurship and the creation of new life science companies. For example, create public-private partnerships that combine the capital resources of top venture capital firms with managers, scientists and entrepreneurs.

2) Catalyze greater technology transfer and commercialization and leverage Montgomery County’s federal and academic assets more effectively. For example, work with the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University and other regional academic research institutions to facilitate greater licensing and commercialization of their research discoveries and technologies.

3) Foster a more enabling financial, regulatory and business environment. One strategy is to pass county enabling legislation to create a Montgomery County specific biotech investment tax credit by summer 2010.

4) Enhance bioscience educational opportunities and expand the higher education presence in the County to build a robust biosciences workforce. This can be achieved by supporting partnerships between Montgomery College, other higher education institutions, industry and Montgomery County Public Schools to support science, technology, engineering and math curriculum development.

5) Market the county’s bioscience sector nationally and internationally by partnering up with the Maryland Biotechnology Center to create a high-profile marketing effort that goes along well with the state’s BioMaryland branding and global marketing campaign.

For more information:
December 2009 Task Force Report (12-10-09)
Montgomery County Biosciences Task Force Home Page
Montgomery County Press Release
Washington Business Journal Article (12-10-09)

County Executive's Town Hall Meeting in Silver Spring

The Trachtenberg Office was represented at County Executive Isiah Leggett's Town Hall meeting at the Takoma Park Middle School, in Silver Spring, on November 12, 2009. Previous town meetings have drawn thousands of residents who have taken advantage of the opportunity to voice their concerns to the County Executive.

"Town meetings present an excellent opportunity for me to find out what's on the mind of our residents," said Leggett. "A cornerstone of my administration has been to make sure 'everyone has a seat at the table' and these public meetings provide a forum for our residents to share their ideas and concerns."

At the meeting, the County Executive addressed a broad range of questions including trends in the County budget, maintenance of effort issue, public safety, job creation, improved access for people with disabilities, and growth and development issues. One issue that attracted much public content was youth empowerment and programs for young people in the Silver Spring area.

At this meeting, the County Executive announced that Montgomery County and the Lee Development Group signed a final agreement permitting the construction of a Fillmore Music Hall on the property which formerly housed the J.C. Penney Company in downtown Silver Spring.

The town meeting was videotaped by County Cable 6, the County government channel, for future airing.

Duchy at the Randolph Civic Association

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend the monthly meeting of the Randolph Civic Assocation at the Viers Mill Recreation Center in North Bethesda. We discussed the proposed White Flint Sector Plan and issues regarding growth, traffic, and schools. It was a pleasure to meet so many active, dedicated, and very well informed members of our Montgomery County community and I look forward to working with them in the future.