New County Partnership With Tech Incubator 1776

Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer, the Council’s lead member for digital government and a member of the committee on economic development, today applauded the new partnership between Montgomery County Government and the Washington, D.C.-based tech incubator 1776. County officials intend for the partnership to significantly expand the County's innovation program in order to modernize County services as well as foster regional entrepreneurship networks that will strengthen the local economy.

The agreement represents the first partnership between 1776, which receives funding from the District of Columbia, and a local government outside of the District. It is part of a groundbreaking effort by the Montgomery County and 1776 to foster regional economic strategies.

In recent years, Montgomery County has been seeking out unique opportunities to bolster innovation and startup growth as part of a larger effort to continue strengthening the County’s economy.

“When I first visited 1776, I was inspired by the potential that I saw for a 1776-Montgomery County partnership to foster regional entrepreneurship networks,” said Councilmember Riemer. “Its focus on companies with ‘smart cities’ solutions also aligns perfectly with our interest in applying innovations to the delivery of services to our residents.

"I’m thrilled that County Executive Ike Leggett and so many of my County Council colleagues are working together to forge this innovative partnership. It is a great step forward for our County’s innovation program and the economic strength of the whole region.”

Councilmember Riemer worked with County Executive Leggett and 1776 to organize a roundtable for local entrepreneurs housed at 1776, which sparked many ideas for how they could join forces. The resulting partnership will represent a major expansion of the County's innovation program, as the County will screen up to 10 companies based in 1776 each year and may agree to work with as many as five on smart-city type services that will benefit residents.

1776 companies also will have opportunities to occupy workspace in Montgomery County’s Thingstitute, an incubator devoted to “Internet of things” technology. The County will become a sponsor of 1776’s upcoming Challenge Festival, which will feature startups from across the globe. In addition, companies in the County's incubator system will have access to 1776 programs.

Montgomery’s Department of Economic Development and County Chief Innovation Officer, Daniel Hoffman, will work to connect 1776 startups with leading Montgomery County employers such as MedStar Health, NIH, GlaxoSmithKline and NIST.

After his initial discussions with 1776 leaders and entrepreneurs, Councilmember Riemer wrote a blog on the 1776 web site called, "Entrepeneurship and Innovation Networks are Regional. Here's Why." In the blog, he wrote:

“In the regional economic-competition model, attracting companies is generally a zero-sum game. But supporting entrepreneurs and young companies and building a thriving regional entrepreneurial scene is not zero sum. The more that a particular region develops as a hub for tech companies, the more that every jurisdiction in the region benefits from the skilled workforce that moves there, the investment capital that follows the entrepreneurs, the income that the employees earn and the services that those companies provide.

“If strong networking is beneficial to the economic development of every jurisdiction, how can local governments in the region work together to build on our strengths? Since 1776—and other incubators like it in places like Chicago and Austin—are already regional entrepreneurship networks, how can we make its regionalism more intentional and therefore more powerful?

“Local governments in the region could become partners of 1776, taking advantage of the content provided by 1776 to support their own incubator networks—and 1776 could work with the jurisdictions to launch programs in their focus areas. Because 1776 focuses on companies that meet government and public sector needs, local officials also could serve as mentors, offering their time as sounding boards or informational resources for those companies, as D.C. city officials already do.”

Several County Councilmembers, including Council President George Leventhal and Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee Chair Nancy Floreen, have visited 1776 to meet with the organization’s leaders and entrepreneurs.

The County’s relationship with companies in 1776 has already yielded a successful project. TransitScreen, a company working from the 1776 location, created software for showing real-time public transportation information. Two other 1776 startups — Local Roots Farms and SeamlessDocs — also are now working on small projects with the County.

Under the partnership, the products being created by 1776-based startups can be adjusted to meet specific needs of the County.

Liquor Control Committee Set to Begin

As you may have heard, the Montgomery County Council recently created an Ad Hoc Committee on Liquor Control, and I am honored to be chairing that committee.

The Committee has been tasked with reviewing, evaluating, and making recommendations about alternate service delivery models and alcohol regulations and policies. In other words, the Committee will be making recommendations on how the County should control alcohol. This is such an important debate because it closely affects our restaurant and entertainment sectors, quality of life, and ultimately our local economy.

As Chair, I look forward to objectively reviewing all the evidence and community feedback on this crucial issue. To do this, we have scheduled four Committee Worksessions for this Winter/Spring.

February 27 – Overview

• OLO Report 2015-6: Review of Alcohol Control (read the report here)
• Discussion with Executive Branch

March 6 – DLC Management and Operations

• OLO review of legal environment/current DLC operations
• Presentation from IG on Preliminary Inquiry Memorandum and update on ongoing investigation
• Discussion with DLC and MCGEO

March 20 – Economic Competitiveness

• OLO review of DLC/private sector pricing, survey results
• Discussion with Licensees, Distributors and Manufacturers

March 27 – Public Health and Safety

• OLO review of research on impact of Liquor Control on public health
• Discussion with public health and public safety officials

The Committee will resume its work after the County's budget cycle finishes in June. We will hold a public hearing and additional worksessions with the goal of making recommendations to the full County Council for action.

But to make sure that we find a solution that works, we need your expertise. As a first step, please reach out to me with your thoughts by emailing councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov or calling my office at 240-777-7964. You can also share your thoughts with the whole council by going to the Committee's Website.

We hope that you will stay engaged with us throughout the entire process, and be on the lookout for updates from me after each worksession. I hope you are as excited as am I to tackle this important issue.

Spurring Economic Development With High Speed Networks

County Executive Ike Leggett proposed several new initiatives to improve the County’s economic development efforts in his inauguration remarks delivered on Dec. 1. The initiatives would combine to launch a new County economic agenda that reflects on a number of the key positions I have long advocated for.

I heartily welcome the County Executive’s decision to focus on economic development and entrepreneurship. I have long been a believer that, in order to continue to thrive, Montgomery County must have an economic base that is more diverse and competitive for new and growing companies in our region.

Building on my “Moving Montgomery Forward with Gigabit Speed Networks” initiative, County Executive Leggett is proposing creation of UltraMontgomery, which would be a high-speed fiber network that will connect Montgomery’s businesses and its academic and federal institutions.

I am extremely pleased that County Executive Leggett is moving forward with next-generation network infrastructure that will power economic growth and vitality in the County for years to come.

In August, I published the strategy paper “Moving Montgomery Forward with Gigabit Speed Networks” that addresses how new technology initiatives can drive growth in the local economy and leverage critical economic assets such as federal research labs. The plan led to me being named one of 16 finalists of the NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders) New Ideas Challenge. The New Ideas Challenge gives recognition to smart, pro-growth progressive solutions that are being developed and tested by state and local leaders across the country.

To spur economic development and job creation in key sectors of Montgomery County's economy, my white paper proposes building ultra high-speed, ultra reliable and ultra secure data networks in the County's centers of research and economic activity. These are our innovation districts, such as the future White Oak development, the Great Seneca Science Corridor, Bethesda and Silver Spring.

These districts are attractive for investment and job creation because of the presence of federal agencies, such as the FDA, NIST, NIH and NOAA. He also points out the County’s significant private sector strengths and its highly educated resident workforce base focused around the life sciences, earth sciences, biotech and cyber-security industries.

The proposed development in White Oak, next to FDA, will be a great proving ground for these concepts.

I also praise County Executive Leggett’s initiatives to streamline the development process—an area where I have has successfully championed a variety of reforms. In addition, I support the Executive’s proposal to create a new tech-sector incubator.

I will join a roundtable discussion with County Executive Leggett and County-based entrepreneurs on Monday, Dec. 8, at the tech-sector incubator 1776.

VIDEO: Pushing the technology envelope in MoCo

You might enjoy this short video reporting on my work promoting next generation internet infrastructure in Montgomery County.

I recently released a White Paper called "Moving Montgomery Forward with Gigabit Speed Networks." If you are interested in this topic I hope you’ll read the report and let me know what you think.

Moving Montgomery forward with technology

One of my top priorities on the County Council is to develop new technology initiatives that can drive growth in our local economy as well as strengthen the transparency and accountability of government.

If you read my new white paper on Moving Montgomery Forward with Gigabit Speed Networks, you will get a sense of why I think new technology initiatives are so important for our county.

To spur economic development in key sectors of Montgomery County's economy, my white paper proposes the more effective utilization of ultra high-speed (100+ gigabits per second), ultra reliable, and ultra secure data networks in the county's centers of research and economic activity -- our innovation districts. These districts include White Oak, the Great Seneca Science Corridor, Bethesda and Silver Spring. What makes these districts so attractive for investment and job creation is the presence of federal agencies, such as the FDA, NIST, NIH, NOAA, a significant private sector toehold, and highly educated resident base focused around the life science, earth science, biotech and cybersecurity industries.

The specific challenge for the County is to form collaborative partnerships with the major federal institutions, non-profit, and private-sector companies to leverage these ultra high-speed connections. Specifically, the County will need a better understanding how federal agencies, such as the FDA and NIH, could use the next-gen applications made possible by the ultra high-speed networks. Then, the County should use these partnerships to attract businesses to build those applications in each innovation districts. The challenge is great, but the rewards could be substantial for the continued growth in the County's economic base.

If you would like to dig a bit deeper into these exciting concepts, I invite you to read the white paper on this interactive website:



I am also thrilled to share a landmark new development in financial transparency for the county -- the launch of our new online budget tool that is already becoming a national model. The tool is powered by raw data from dataMontgomery, an initiative called for in the Open Data Act of 2012, which I authored.

Some of the key highlights of the new budget tool include:

• Allows residents to digitally navigate the current and past budgets with interactive graphs and charts.
• Enhanced search capability and optimized for mobile, tablet and desktop.
• Translatable into more than 90 languages.
• Future modules of the tool will include spending and procurement data.

As the Council's Lead Member for Digital Government, I am pleased to see the Montgomery County Executive--in collaboration with the private sector open data company, Socrata--develop an innovative tool that will help residents better understand our County's budget and finances and more effectively participate in the decisions our government makes. We are working to replace the lengthy paper budget books and endless PDF files that have provided all of our budget information for years, with web-based tools that allow residents to see spending patterns and priorities over time, crunch their own numbers, and hold government more accountable.



I look forward to hearing your thoughts on both of these please initiatives. Please do email me at Councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov to let me know what you think!

Growing Cybersecurity Companies in Montgomery County

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development will be hosting an event for local cybersecurity companies.

Monday, November 25, 2013, 7:30 am - 9:30 am
Hosted by the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, IBBR, 9600 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville.

Join us to learn about new resources available locally to grow your cybersecurity company:

• The Maryland Cybersecurity Investment Incentive Tax Credit and the Montgomery County Supplement
  
  The Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED) will begin accepting applications from qualified Maryland cybersecurity companies for the new Cybersecurity Investment Incentive Tax Credit on December 9, 2013. The program is funded at $3 million and offers a refundable tax credit to qualified Maryland cybersecurity companies that seek and secure investment from an in-state or out-of-state investor. Montgomery County passed legislation to provide a supplement for companies located in the county.

• The Maryland Employer Security Clearance Cost (ESCC) Tax Credit provides tax credits for security clearances administrative expenses, SCIF costs, and first year leasing.
• The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at NIST.

Featured speakers:

• Jeffrey Wells, Executive Director of Cyber Development for MD Department of Business & Economic Development
• Sally Sternbach, Deputy Director, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development
• Councilmember, Hans Riemer, Montgomery County Council
• TBD National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence

RSVP to Bernadette.Goovaerts@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov

Raising the Minimum Wage in Montgomery County

Memorandum

To:        County Councilmembers
Fr:         Councilmember Hans Riemer
Re:        Minimum wage
Date:     November 4, 2013

I agree with Councilmember Elrich, as well as co-sponsors Navarro and Ervin, that the minimum wage needs to rise and that it should be higher in Montgomery County than in the rest of the state due to our higher cost of living.

For your consideration, I am writing to share amendments to Bill 27-13 that I would support in order to accomplish that goal.

In examining this issue, I have reached the following conclusions.

1. The state must continue to be the primary policymaker for the minimum wage.
2. The county should apply an increase over the state minimum wage to reflect our higher cost of living.
3. There should be no changes to weaken the minimum wage, such as exemptions or credits, which do not already exist in state law.
4. The county-level increase should be phased in after the state-level increase is fully phased in.
5. The state should continue to have responsibility for enforcement.

There are a variety of measures for how much more it costs to live in Montgomery County. The county's cost of living is roughly 28% higher than the national average. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median monthly housing cost for renters in Montgomery County was $1,511 in 2011, which was 24% higher than the state average ($1,153). According to the state's Department of Business and Economic Development, Montgomery County has the highest cost of living in the state. Our minimum wage should be higher than the state minimum to reflect this reality.

Councilmember Elrich's efforts to enact our minimum wage increase in parallel with some other jurisdictions in the area is a positive development. At the same time, we cannot control the actual laws that will be passed in those jurisdictions or how they may or may not be amended in the future, and our laws should not be formally linked.

Some of the exemptions that have been proposed in Bill 27-13 would weaken the minimum wage and would represent a step backwards for minimum wage policy. They include:

• Bill 27-13 exempts the county government from paying its own minimum wage. That should be eliminated. However, this is likely to create substantial costs for the county government and we should know what they are before proceeding.
• Bill 27-13 exempts tipped employees and "opportunity employees" (employees under 20 years of age during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment with an employer) who are covered by the state minimum wage.
• Bill 27-13 allows employers to deduct "all or part of the per-employee hourly cost of the employer's share of the premium" for employer-provided health insurance from the minimum wage. This deduction does not exist in federal or state law.

It would be a mistake for Montgomery County to pioneer new exemptions to the minimum wage, which could backfire and undermine worker protections in Maryland or other jurisdictions around the country. These exemptions should be removed from the bill.

I believe it is profoundly important for the core policy-making responsibility to remain at the state level, where decisions can help a much larger population than just Montgomery County. It would be a great mistake for local jurisdictions to fragment this landmark national and state policy, when what we need is to strengthen the policy at the state and national level by increasing the minimum wage. From the perspective of crafting a regional policy, the state is more capable of achieving that goal than local governments.

Our current discussion must be informed by the continuing discussions at the state level, where an increase is being supported by many key legislative decision makers. For the purposes of our current discussion, I believe it is possible that the state will increase to $10.10 over a three year period, but we will not know exactly what they do for several more months.

I recommend that we increase the minimum wage by $1 over the state minimum wage, with a three year phase-in after the state's phase-in is completed: thirty cents in the first year, thirty cents in the second year, and forty cents in the third year. Following along a possible state timeline for phase in of 2015, 2016, and 2017, our additional phase-in would occur during 2018, 2019, and 2020, with the overall amount indexed to inflation, consistent with what has been proposed by state policymakers.

While perhaps some would see 2020 for final phase-in of the wage as far in the future, it is not very long for businesses to prepare for what would ultimately be a 53% increase in the minimum wage, from $7.25 to $11.10.

Additionally, Bill 27-13 designates the county's Office of Human Rights (OHR) as responsible for enforcing the county's minimum wage law. OHR has been dramatically downsized in recent years, with a staff complement falling from 22.5 in FY08 to 8.0 in FY14. OHR has little experience or expertise relevant to Bill 27-13, or to certain provisions such as the healthcare credit employers can take against the minimum wage.

Why should the county government seek to take over minimum wage enforcement responsibilities from the state's Department of Licensing, Labor and Regulation (DLLR)? Since DLLR already enforces the state minimum, it should be an easy matter for them to enforce a higher minimum wage in Montgomery County so long as the county law is identical in all other respects to the state law. Therefore we should direct the county's Chief Administrative Officer to seek an enforcement agreement with DLLR, and if the CAO cannot reach an agreement with the state prior to the start of the county's phase-in period, then enforcement reverts to a county department. For OHR to accept that responsibility, however, it would require substantial changes in its management and structure.

Accordingly, I will ask council staff to prepare amendments consistent with these goals and I will support a final bill that includes them.

Hans Riemer Selected as One of Nation’s Top Pro-Growth Progressive Leaders

Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer today was selected as one of 11 rising leaders from across the country to join the NewDEAL, a national network that is committed to highlighting innovative ideas from state and local elected leaders who are pro-growth progressives.

Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland and U.S. Senator Mark Begich of Alaska, Honorary Chairs of the NewDEAL, recognized Councilmember Riemer’s efforts to focus on attracting members of the creative economy to spur economic growth for other residents in his county.

“Senator Begich and I have joined the NewDEAL because we believe we need to look for fresh ideas not just from the top down in Washington, but also from the bottom up, where innovative leaders like Hans Riemer are developing and testing their ideas out on the ground.” - Governor O’Malley, Honorary Co-Chair of the NewDEAL 

“In communities throughout the country, rising state and local leaders such as Hans Riemer, are proving that you can be both pro-growth and progressive. The NewDEAL is designed to foster these types of ideas and these types of leaders." - Senator Begich, Honorary Co-Chair of the NewDEAL. 

“I am proud to be recognized by the NewDEAL for my work to build our night-time economy in order to expand opportunity for more people,” said Councilmember Riemer. “I'm looking forward to sharing my ideas with the other NewDEAL Leaders and learning about their ideas from around the country that can help us grow progress here in Montgomery County

Pro-Growth Progressive Idea: Focusing on attracting members of the creative economy to spur economic growth

Riemer is currently featured on the NewDEAL’s interactive website. 

He joins Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Baltimore City Councilmember Bill Cole, State Senator Bill Ferguson and Delegate Keiffer Mitchell as the fifth NewDEAL Leader from Maryland.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 240-777-7964. 

Click here for the full press release 

Boosting economic growth in Montgomery County

I wanted to share an article about economic growth in Montgomery County that ran recently in the Examiner. It includes this quote by me:

Riemer warned his fellow lawmakers that the county's tax base may be eroding. With that huge regional imbalance in job growth ... we're traveling further to job centers, so our residents who have choices will move closer to jobs elsewhere. The ones who have choices have higher incomes.

I am concerned about our rate of job growth in the county for many reasons. For example, we need to expand our commercial tax base in order to fund our government services and keep our general tax burden from rising.

The council recently passed legislation that Roger Berliner and I proposed, which would require the county to draft an Economic Development Strategic Plan that contains measurable goals on job creation, target industries and geographic areas, workforce education and training, growth in tax base and other factors. This plan must be approved by the County Council. All business incentives proposed by the Executive must be consistent with this plan. The County Council passed our bill unanimously.

My hope for this legislation is that it will result in a better strategic plan for economic development with stronger support for that plan from county leadership. A key goal is to provide a vehicle for the county’s leadership in the private and public sector to come together around a shared vision for how we move forward.

For Montgomery County to improve its competitive position, I believe we must do a better job engaging the private sector in our economic development work.

These kinds of planning exercises can work to build consensus about the problem and a solution agenda. The International Economic Development Council provides many examples of how local governments have improved their outcomes through smart planning.

I will continue keeping you updated about my work on these important issues and I welcome any feedback that you may have.

Regards,

Hans Riemer

Councilmember, At-Large

Daily Journal, March 12 (Cost Shift Update & Wheaton Revitalization)

Today, the council president and county executive sent a letter to the state delegation about the proposals for the pension shift and maintenance of effort. The letter concludes by saying, “In our meetings in Annapolis with you and other leaders of our delegation, we have stressed that we will stand by you if at the end of the day the total package that emerges treats Montgomery County and its residents fairly. We stand by that pledge. However, in the absence of substantial changes to the pension cost shift and maintenance of effort legislation, we will not be able to say that.”

Tough times.

On a more positive note, we had a long discussion at the economic development committee about Wheaton. As I said at the meeting, I personally appreciate what the county executive has done by putting $42 million into the capital budget (meaning that the money is borrowed, and not money that could be used on salaries, etc) for Wheaton redevelopment. I have been concerned about the specific proposal that this budget item would fund though, as it has a potentially devastating effect on many small businesses in Wheaton while the upside benefits may or may not materialize in 2, 5 or even 10 years. I am looking for a plan that will have more certainty in the benefits and reduce our impact on small businesses. This can be achieved by funding the construction of a county building on county property in Wheaton, rather that a platform over the Metro.

Daily Journal, March 9

Friday morning I was a guest reader at Rachel Carson Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. This is a Maryland Blue Ribbon school and hopefully will be a national award winner soon, with something in the range of 98% of the kids passing the MSAs, according to the principal. What an amazing achievement. The first grade kids were a lot fun! We really engaged in the story of Abraham Lincoln, as I read from a book that is one of my son Henry’s favorites.

I got a chance to speak with Gary Bartee of the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals. One of his big focuses is the peer review system, which is Montgomery County’s innovative way of improving accountability for teachers by providing support and training to teachers who are not performing. I was happy to see a Washington Post article about this system the next day; it is an approach that deserves more recognition nationally. It is also worth noting that a few years ago MCPS refused Federal Race to the Top money due to a dispute over how to do teacher evaluations. The Federal requirements would have forced the county to redesign our own carefully constructed evaluation and support system. It was a good decision by Jerry Weast to opt-out.

Meanwhile I am continuing to work on Wheaton redevelopment, as we prepare for some important council decisions. On Friday afternoon I met with the Coalition for the Fair Redevelopment of Wheaton. We walked around Triangle Lane and spent some time talking with Mr. Leo, proprietor of Marchones. I’m looking for an approach in Wheaton that will support our local small businesses, not replace them.

What does Wheaton Need?/¿Qué necesita Wheaton?

Thanks to a significant proposal from the County Executive, improving or redeveloping Wheaton is on the council agenda for action in this capital budget. The council is considering an Executive Branch proposal that would have a profound effect on the core area around the Metro station.

We have a big decision to make. As Councilmember Nancy Navarro says, Wheaton’s time is now, and I am working with her and other county officials to put a plan into place.

Here is the question: What does Wheaton need? And how do we get it?

Everyone agrees that Wheaton needs more customers for the businesses there.

The question is how to generate more customers.

Here’s my approach. I think Wheaton’s downtown is sorely missing a public place to go and just spend time. I know, for example, that if I go to Downtown Silver Spring, Bethesda or Rockville, I can spend several hours with my family without having to move the car. I can pick a destination -- and the afternoon starts there. There will be other people moving about. I may run into friends. I can eat, shop at a market or in one of the stores. My kids can play at a fountain or other structure and I can knock off an errand.

Wheaton has many businesses to support this but it lacks a central place where people can gather. It lacks an Ellsworth Drive or Bethesda Row - not necessarily a town square, although it could be, but a place with a compelling and memorable identity that has been built and designed for people.

Wheaton’s core already has many great shops. Some of my favorites there on Triangle Lane include Marchones, where I buy the best deli sandwiches, Showcase Aquarium, and one of the region’s coolest stores, the Toy Exchange, which has vintage toys, from Star Wars figures to Lionel trains. In the surrounding blocks, there are notable restaurants such as Pho Hiep Hoa (where I discovered Pho), Nava Thai, Full Key, Hollywood East, Ren’s Ramen, Caramelo Bakery (with the most spectacular saltenas), and the list goes on.

But what Wheaton does not have is a connecting space to weave the shops, and its identity, together. Typically I have to park at one restaurant and then get back in the car to drive to another location, which is a real pain with kids. I end up spending additional money somewhere else.

In my view, Silver Spring is a success not because of any particular office building in the area, but because of the public space that was created and the sense of identity it fostered. People just love going there.

Wheaton could have that, too. Wheaton has plenty of potential customers in the surrounding neighborhoods, but I suspect that many of them prefer to go out to other destinations that have more street life. They spend their money somewhere else, too.

It is hard to create street life in a parking lot, which is what we currently use as a big space at the center of the urban core.

If we are going to make Wheaton a real destination with appeal to families, teens, singles and everyone, we should start by building an urban park.

What is an urban park? My favorite is the spectacular Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, where I’ve spent hours soaking in the city. While I don’t think we can go that far, we do have nearly $42 million proposed in the capital budget for Wheaton redevelopment.

We also need to remake Triangle Lane, pictured below, so that not only cars and delivery trucks can access the area but people can walk around in an enriching environment. We could have a wider storefront sidewalk for businesses and customers, pavers, lamps, benches and trees. Triangle Lane is, after all, “Wheaton Row.”

Finally, reaching a little further out into the orbit of the urban core, we should get the new Wheaton Library and Recreation Center built as fast as possible. A quality community amenity like that will go a long way to getting residents in the surrounding area even more engaged in their own local community, and it may help attract new, higher income residents to the area.

Wheaton certainly needs new office workers to support the businesses, and the county needs to relocate agencies in order to reduce leasing costs. Fortunately, there are many places in Wheaton to locate new office buildings. We could even build a tall tower where the Mid-County Regional center is today.

We will see what the best approach is, but I am dead set against any construction impact that will wipe out the businesses on Triangle Lane. If these businesses have their parking removed during many years of construction, I am worried that many of them may not survive. There is a possibility that this approach will only end up sterilizing the small business ecosystem that makes Wheaton unique.

Wheaton is different, and we should take a different approach to economic development there. Don’t wipe the businesses out and then build new. Nurture the core and let it grow organically. Make it a destination, and the people will come.

If you have thoughts on what Wheaton needs and how to provide it, please reply or scroll down to comment.

Sincerely,

Hans Riemer

Council Member At-Larger

PS: Some of you may have heard the unfortunate rumor that funds for Wheaton redevelopment are threatened by the Purple Line station in Bethesda. That is not true. We can, and must, do both.

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EN ESPAÑOL

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Mejorar o reformar Wheaton está en la agenda del Consejo para la acción en este presupuesto de capital. El consejo está considerando una propuesta del Poder Ejecutivo que tendría un efecto profundo en la zona central que está alrededor de la estación de metro.

Tenemos una gran decisión que tomar. Como Concejal Nancy Navarro dice, el tiempo de Wheaton es ahora, y estoy trabajando con ella y con otros del condado para poner un plan en acción.

Aquí está la pregunta: ¿Qué necesita Wheaton ? ¿Y cómo lo conseguimos?

Todos coinciden en que Wheaton necesita más clientes para los negocios alrededor del área. La pregunta es cómo generar más clientes.

Creo que al centro de Wheaton le hace falta urgentemente un lugar público para ir y simplemente pasar el tiempo. Sé, por ejemplo, que si voy al centro de Silver Spring, Bethesda o Rockville, puedo pasar varias horas con mi familia sin tener que mover el coche. Yo puedo elegir un destino - y la tarde se inicia allí. Típicamente hay otras personas que se desplazan alrededor y puede ser que hasta me encontraré con amigos. Puedo comer, ir de compras a un mercado o en una de las tiendas. Mis hijos pueden jugar en una fuente o otra estructura y puedo desprender un recado.

Wheaton tiene muchas empresas para apoyar esto, pero carece de un lugar central donde la gente pueda reunirse. Se carece de una unidad de Ellsworth o fila de Bethesda - no necesariamente una plaza de la ciudad, aunque podría ser, sino un lugar con una identidad atractiva y memorable.

El núcleo de Wheaton ya se encuentra con muchas tiendas. Algunos de mis favoritos que se encuentran en el Triángulo de carril incluyen Marchones, donde puedo comprar los mejores sándwiches, Showcase Aquarium, donde puedo comprar peces tropicales, y una de las mas cheveres tiendas de la región, Toy Exchange, que contiene juguetes antiguos como cifras de Star Wars o los trenes Lionel. En los bloques del alrededor, hay varios restaurantes notables, como Pho Hiep Hoa (donde descubrí Pho), Nava Thai, Full Key, Hollywood East, Ren’s Ramen, Caramelo Bakery (con las salteñas más espectaculares), y la lista sigue.

Pero lo que no tiene Wheaton es un espacio de conexión para tejer las tiendas, y su identidad, juntos. Por lo general tengo que aparcar en un restaurante y luego volver al coche para ir a otro lugar, que es un verdadero dolor de cabeza con los niños.

En mi opinión, Silver Spring es un éxito, no debido a cualquier edificio de oficinas en particular en la zona, sino por el espacio público que fue creado y el sentido de identidad que fomentó. A la gente le encanta ir allí.

Wheaton tiene un montón de clientes potenciales en la comunidad de los alrededores, pero sospecho que muchos de ellos prefieren ir a otros destinos que tienen más vida en la calle. Gastan su dinero en otro lugar, también.

Es difícil crear vida en la calle en un estacionamiento, que es lo que usamos actualmente como un gran espacio en el centro del núcleo urbano.

Si vamos a hacer a Wheaton un destino real con atracciones para las familias, jóvenes, solteros y todo el mundo, debemos empezar con la construcción de un parque urbano.

¿Qué es un parque urbano? Mi favorito es el espectacular Yerba Buena Gardens en San Francisco, donde he pasado horas de remojo en la ciudad. Aunque yo no creo que podamos ir tan lejos, tenemos cerca de $42 millones propuestos en el presupuesto de capital para la reurbanización de Wheaton.

También tenemos que rehacer a Triangle Lane de manera que los coches y camiones no son los únicos que pueden acceder a la zona, pero que también la gente pueda caminar en un ambiente enriquecedor. Podríamos tener una acera más ancha para las empresas y los clientes, adoquines, lámparas, bancos y árboles.

Por último, alcanzando un poco más lejos en la órbita del núcleo urbano, deberíamos construir lo más rápido posible la nueva biblioteca de Wheaton y el Centro de Recreación. Este seria un servicio de calidad para que la comunidad en la zona que rodea se involucre mas en su propia comunidad local.

Wheaton también necesita nuevos trabajadores de oficinas para apoyar a las empresas, y el condado tiene que reubicar a las agencias con el fin de reducir los costos de arrendamiento. Afortunadamente, hay muchos lugares en Wheaton para localizar nuevos edificios de oficinas. Incluso se podría construir una torre alta donde se encuentra el Mid-County Regional Center.

Vamos a ver cuál es el mejor enfoque, pero yo estoy decididamente en contra de cualquier impacto de la construcción que acabará con las empresas sobre Triangle Lane - La "Fila" de Wheaton. Si estas empresas tienen su estacionamiento eliminado durante muchos años de construcción, me preocupa que muchos de ellos no van a poder sobrevivir. Existe la posibilidad de que este enfoque sólo nos llevará a una torre de oficinas, y la esterilización del ecosistema de las pequeñas empresas que hacen Wheaton único.

Wheaton es diferente, y debemos tomar un enfoque diferente para el desarrollo económico allí. No hay que limpiar los negocios hacia fuera y después construir nuevos negocios. Cultivando el corazón ayuda el crecimiento orgánicamente. Si convertimos a Wheaton en un destino, la gente vendrá.

Sinceramente,

Concejal, en todo el Condado

PS: Algunos de ustedes han escuchado el rumor que los fondos para la reurbanización de Wheaton están amenazados por la estación de la línea púrpura en Bethesda. Eso no es cierto. Podemos y debemos hacer las dos cosas.

Daily Journal (March 7th)

Today I received a tour of the Shady Grove Innovation Center, one of the county’s five business incubators. Some years back the county launched an aggressive program to incubate new businesses, and today it is one of the country’s largest. The innovation centers provide a more efficient way for entrepreneurs to get their companies off the ground, and also they provide access to a community of other entrepreneurs and workers.

I met Richard Garr, CEO of Neuralstem, a company building therapies with Stem Cells. I met Noel Doheny, of Epigenomics, a company that is seeking FDA approval for a device that will improve reliability and reduce cost for identifying colonoscopy.

I’m pictured here with Tashu Trivedi, an IT entrepreneur whose company provides support for the financial services that Federal agencies use.

In this picture, I am with Dr. Yan Su, a former academic researcher whose company, GenProMarkers, is working to identify a biological “proof” of PTSD that the military can use in determining benefits. You can’t quite see it, but we are looking at a slide with an example of his research.

Each of these entrepreneurs finds a different value in the innovation center. For some, like Dr. Su, it helps him make the transition from academic researcher to business manager – the “technology transfer” issue that we hear so much about. With agencies like NIH in our midst, for example, we must see new pathways to help commercialize the economic value that can be created from research programs.

This science and technology based economy is crucial to our future in the county. As I face down a continuing budget crisis, I have concluded that if we want to pay for school buildings, we need more office buildings. Our over-reliance on residential property tax income is creating a real challenge for the county. With the innovation centers, we are planting seeds for a spring to come.

My last meeting of the day was with youth from Gandhi Brigade—a great non profit that focuses on youth using the media for social justice issues. We started off the meeting with an ice breaker called “The Big Wind Blows”. This got our energy going for the conversation that followed. Gandhi Brigade youth expressed the need for space to hold community activities and engagement amongst generations. There needs to be a space that the community sees as their own, one that is affordable.

Daily Journal (March 5th & 6th)

On Monday, I attended a committee meeting to show my support for accelerating the Wheaton Library and Recreation Center. I recently toured the facility that would be replaced and saw first hand the heavy use by the community and the real need for modernization. I commented at the meeting on how a new library and rec center would be an effective tool for revitalizing the area, helping to attract new residents and making a positive statement that the county cares about that area of the county, which like many areas suffers from under-investment. We need to make Wheaton a better place to live.

Tuesday, we had a straw vote to approve the new Kensington Sector Plan. After some debate we voted 8-1 to approve the plan. You can see more about it at www.montgomeryplanning.org. The purpose of the plan is to revise the zoning to make it more likely that property owners will invest in redevelopment, making that area a better place to live. It's a careful plan that balances the incentives needed for business to invest with community concerns to maintain a walkable, retail oriented town. I hope that we will start to see some progress there soon.

What time in the day remained I spent working on ideas for Wheaton revitalization as well as preparing for the transportation committee's review of the CIP on Thursday.

Meanwhile I am keeping my eyes on Annapolis and the bad proposals that we have seen there that would have dramatic negative affects on Montgomery County. I am working closely with the www.stoptheshiftmd.com coalition and I urge you to sign up and speak out there now.

Daily Journal (Silver Spring Transit Center, County Debt Limit, Small Business)

Today's T&E committee started with a briefing on a new agreement to govern the Blue Plains Waste Water treatment facility, where most of our sewage is treated.

Then we moved on to discuss the terrible news about problems with the construction at the Silver Spring Transit Center. We do not know yet how this will be resolved but there will be a long delay in opening the transit center. How long? Long. We don't know.

Then the full council met to discuss legislation that is pending in Annapolis. No real news there but we are working closely with our delegation to protect the county from a proposal to change who is responsible for funding teacher pensions. The state has been responsible for that for 85 years but has managed the pension badly and now wants to foist the pension deficit onto county governments. Montgomery County would be responsible for paying over $40 million in state pension funding in just the first year alone, and according to the state projections these costs are expected to increase about 10% per year.

In the afternoon, at a joint meeting of the GO committee with the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee we discussed concerns about small businesses and redevelopment. I was pleased to hear that the County Executive is depositing $2 million into the revolving small business loan program; I requested that the council discuss policy objectives for how those loans would be made. Can we fund clean-tech startups? Child care companies? Can we target the loans to problems we want to address, such as unemployment in the Hispanic community?

I was also pleased to learn that the County Executive is exploring partnerships with community banks to make loans, perhaps helping close deals on certain loans that the banks would not be able to fully finance themselves.

These are promising developments---we can and must do better to grow our own job creator right here in Montgomery County.

The day continued with a final committee meeting to set our assumptions for the capital budget. We set our annual borrowing for that budget at $295 million and addressed some technical issues that will likely result in reducing the funds available for the $4 billion capital budget by another few tens of millions.

To polish off the day, or evening, I met with a group of activists in the Chevy Chase area that calls itself the "District 1 caucus." Included among them was former Councilmember Scot Fosler. We had an interesting conversation about the nature of the County Executive position. Did you know that Fairfax County does not have an elected County Executive? They have a county manager type position. It was a treat to meet Scot; last Friday I met Bill Scher, also a former council member.

Which reminds me that today I got a call from former Governor Parris Glendening, who is inviting me to join a select group of local officials from around the country in a program hosted by Smart Growth America, the non-profit policy organization that he founded. I was thrilled to get the Governor's call and I'm looking forward to getting involved with this effort to support and build smart growth champions around the country.

Meanwhile tomorrow at full council session I am introducing a new bill that I drafted on big box retailing issues and considering recommendations I want to make for our county cable plan operations. And tomorrow our T&E committee will return, and possibly conclude, the issue of take home vehicles for county employees that I have been working on for some time.

Lots going on!

Daily journal: Jobs and Bag fees

This morning began in Rockville at the GCAAR/Realtors legislative breakfast. I had a good discussion with an agent, Paul, who wants the county to do more on development issues. He remarked to me that while he had been concerned about my background in progressive politics, he had been impressed by various things I have said and he believes I "get it". My reply was twofold: I grew up in a community where people would never take good jobs for granted, and I understand the value of economic development. And also, the county needs commercial development to pay for schools. What I didn't say is that progressives are the great builders and innovators and I have always believed you need a strong economy to build a good society.

Montgomery County used to be able to rely on wealthy residents moving in to the county to pay the bills for our great schools and services, but that balance is shifting. Average county income has actually declined recently. We need a stronger commercial tax base or we are going to lose the government services that we cherish and the community that they foster.

A good piece of the rest of the day was devoted to political fundraising, which comes with the job.

Then I headed to the Wheaton Library (more on that tomorrow) and finally for a trip to the grocery store before heading home.

As I headed into the store I unloaded what I wondered might be one of my last collections of plastic bags, in the recycle bin. I've been thinking a lot about the bag fee lately as have many residents.

I was glad to vote for it but I am even more proud of that vote today.

For those who disagree I remind you that the county is spending hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years to clean up our waterways and we are determined to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

The five cent fee and the 1 million dollars or so it is expected to collect don't come close to covering the damage that plastic bags cause to our environment.

But the fee is a great behavior changer. Already I find myself more compelled to bring my reusable’s with me, and proud of our new civic culture as I see residents walking about with reusable’s in hand.

We are making a difference, all of us, one bag at a time.