The questions below have been sent to our speakers:

Steven Silverman, Director, Department of Economic Development,Montgomery County
Gerald Gordon, President, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

1.  What is the budget and staffing for each of your organizations?  Are your budgets growing or being reduced? Does your staff specialize in the various business sectors?  Which ones? Do you have offices in other US states, other countries?

2.  There is a 200,000 job gap between Fairfax and Montgomery counties.  Can you give us the reasons why this is so?

3.  In competing for the relocation of businesses, what do you believe should be the average cost of tax credits and other subsidies for each job created?  In competing for the relocation of government offices (which don’t pay taxes), should these subsidies be the same for jobs retained?

4.  Have business incubation programs (subsidized office space, counseling, enterprise zones etc.) been more effective in creating jobs, and what is the average cost for each of these jobs that are created?

5.  Do the two counties concede any industry sector to the other, e.g. bio sciences, lodging, defense?
6.  Are there ways for Montgomery and Fairfax counties to cooperate to bring new industries to our region?

7.  How do your state laws and regulations encourage or impede economic development in your county?

8.  An example :  The CEO of Company X has decided to move his large company to our area.   The four main reasons for the move are high taxes, poor schools. terrible transportation and the rising rate of serious crime.  He has narrowed the move to the Washington, DC Region, specifically either Fairfax or Montgomery county.  Both counties have highly educated workforces.  Corporate and personal taxes are higher in Montgomery versus Fairfax.  Both Fairfax and Montgomery counties have excellent school systems.  On transportation, Fairfax county has heavier traffic congestion.  Montgomery has a higher rate of serious crime.  What would you do to convince the CEO to relocate his company to your county?

9.  How do “quality of life” issues affect job creation/economic development in your county?  For example, vehicular traffic in the DC metropolitan area is among the worst in the nation with many roads past saturation point.  Many community groups believe that development occurs at the expense of quality of life.  Is economic development compatible with quality of life?  Please give us some examples.

10.  What more can the Fairfax Board of Supervisors and the Montgomery County Council do to help you succeed in your mission?

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From the Montgomery Gazette of October 12, 2011:

“For a fickle council that has spent time on trans-fats bans, menu nutrition labeling and a discussion on the Arab spring, even the consideration of a resolution that would snub an integral part of the county’s economy demonstrates how tone-deaf elected leaders are to the business community.

“It’s no secret that northern Virginia is more than happy to welcome industries that Montgomery fails to nurture and support. It is also increasingly clear that the economy of tomorrow in Montgomery may not be the economy of today. ”

Read the full story at the Montgomery Gazette.

To hear more about economic development in Montgomery and Fairfax counties, be sure to attend the MCTL meeting October 20 at 7:30.  See the meeting notice at the top right for further details.

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