Friday, October 07, 2011

Montgomery development efforts questioned

Some officials in Montgomery County, Maryland are questioning whether the department that oversees its economic health is doing enough to attract high-end jobs. They say say the county has lost thousands of jobs and no longer can depend on its proximity to Washington, D.C. and its federal jobs machine for its economic health. .

“In general, attracting companies like Costco or Walmart is not building the kind of high-wage economy that we need here to support our quality of life,” Councilman Hans Riemer (D-At large) of Silver Spring was quoted as saying. “The county has always been able to rely on the federal government to provide the economic engine to keep this county going. And I think those days are over,” he said.

Although Montgomery’s population grew by 100,000 from 2000 to 2010, the county lost about 5,500 jobs.

The director of the county’s Department of Economic Development, has released a plan that focuses on retaining businesses and attracting national and global interest. More here

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