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.

How is our night life?

Montgomery County has marvelous suburban neighborhoods that are the envy of our region. We have set aside a huge reserve as countryside dedicated to farming and we have one of the nation’s best park systems. In so many ways, we are ahead of the curve.

But there is a new trend shaping this country -- the rebirth of our cities. We are witnessing first hand, for example, DC’s remarkable turnaround.

That’s why I have worked with County Executive Leggett and Councilmember Marc Elrich to establish a night-time economy task force. We’d like the county to be a great place to live for every age group - kids, young people, parents and seniors. Part of that challenge is to establish attractive, fun and safe options for nightlife right here in Montgomery County.

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Our task force will seek answers to questions such as:

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• How can we get more great options for dining out? Are our liquor regulations a hindrance?
• Can we make it easier for business owners to open restaurants or entertainment venues in our business districts?
• How can we fund improvements to the streets so that they are safer for walking?
• Where and how can we build public spaces for concerts, markets, festivals and other community events?
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We have brought together a unique group of business leaders, residents and content experts to examine these questions and get on the road to building an even more diverse and exciting Montgomery County than what we have today.  

Please take my poll on nightlife issues so I can better understand your perspective.

Here is why this is so important: thanks to our great school system and highly educated residents, we have some of the most talented and capable young people in the country. But providing them with economic and social opportunities that are enough to keep them here in Montgomery County is a challenge that today we are not fully meeting. Statistics show that our county has among the region’s lowest share of young adults, many of whom are highly skilled knowledge workers.

Areas like Silver Spring, Wheaton, Bethesda, Germantown, Rockville and more are good opportunities for us to focus on providing walkable, safe dining and entertainment districts that will attract young workers and strengthen our economy.

Of course, great options for dining and entertainment will appeal to people from just about any generation.

Do you have a great idea that we should consider, or just a thought to share on this topic? I’d love to hear it. Please email me at councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov and please take the poll I have designed to help me understand your perspective on these issues.

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