Effective Economic Development

Much has been discussed regarding economic development, employment and small business. It seems as if everyone has their own idea on improving the county. I must confess, I am no different. I, too, believe I have an effective solution that will produce real results.

Fast Track the permitting process and establish a staff position within the Dept. of Economic Development who will be responsible for tracking this process and become the liaison between the small business owner and the various regulatory agencies involved throughout the process. No longer would the business owner need to jump from one agency/office to another to learn the status of a permit or what stage of the process they were in. There would be one point of contact that would stay on top of the entire process. This would eliminate costly delays and confusion, thus allowing the small business owner to focus on their business.

The long-term effect of this plan would be a more positive business climate in the county and increased revenues due to the elimination of costly delays. The county would, in turn, attract and retain more businesses.

Small business is the backbone of not only our county, but of this great country of ours. Small business owners are our neighbors, our community leaders. they give a great deal back to their community through volunteering, donations, etc. It is time that we support the businesses that support our local communities. Too often I hear stories of confusion and frustration from our small business owners regarding their experiences in dealing with the county. This must be addressed and corrected. The current climate does not encourage business ownership.

I propose forming a task force of representatives from Calvert county businesses in order to create a more business-friendly environment within local government policy. From input of the task force, I would work to encourage local and new business growth and investment, helping to create more paying jobs in Calvert. Our county leaders must seek out communication from local business owners as if it were water in a desert. We must encourage new business by making it easier for them to locate here. We must strive to understand their struggles and to work with them to overcome these struggles. If we want to know how to improve the business climate in Calvert..we need to ask the current business owners.

Cliff Erosion and the Chesapeake Bay

The county alone cannot solve the cliff erosion issue due to the federally protected Puritan Tiger Beetle, but the results of no action will greatly impact the quality of the Chesapeake Bay and the landscape of CRE. (I must point out that cliff erosion is troubling homeowners outside of CRE, but it is CRE that is tangled in the beetle preservation battle.) There must be effective leadership at the county level to create a coalition of county, state and federal leaders and agencies to successfully address and resolve this issue.

Regardless of where you stand on this emotional, financial and complex issue, one thing is certain - if we do nothing, these homes and their septic systems will fall into the bay. The real question, I believe, is who will be responsible for the clean up of the bay and what effect will this have on the quality of life for the inhabitants of the bay while we work to clean it up?

The reality is that the failure to implement a plan of action to resolve this issue in the past has led to both a high level of negative exposure for the county and a greater urgency to develop a solution. There is no quick fix solution, but action must be taken immediately if we are to ensure the quality of the Chesapeake Bay. My real concern is the Bay. If we address the issue of protecting the Bay, I believe, the other issues will be resolved in the process.

We need strong leadership to ensure the residents of our county have the opportunity to save their investments and to protect the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants. We can no longer pass the buck. While this may not be an easy issue to resolve and requires action outside of county jurisdiction, strong leadership is required of our county leaders to keep the urgency on this issue.

Minority Leader Delegate O'Donnell has taken the lead on this complex issue and we should expect our county leaders to work along side Delegate O'Donnell on behalf of their constituents.

I do not claim to have the answer, but look forward to investigating the issue further in search of solutions. I have contacted Governor O'Malley's office, as well as Congressman Hoyer's office, regarding this issue, stressing my concern for the impact the erosion will have on the Bay. I am still awaiting a reply. The beetle issue may not go away in the near future, and neither will I.