By Adam Pagnucco.
Here is today’s question.
Montgomery County is near the bottom of large jurisdictions in the region in terms of the number of private-sector jobs created since the Great Recession. Why do you think this is? What policies do you support to address this problem?
Fatmata Barrie (D)
Montgomery County has not kept pace with neighboring jurisdictions in growing private-sector jobs, and we have to be honest about why. Our historic reliance on federal employment and contracting has, for many years, made us less focused on building a strong and diverse private-sector economy.
For too long, we have not invested enough in entrepreneurship or in creating an environment where businesses can start, grow, and stay. Many of us still remember the loss of major employers like Discovery in downtown Silver Spring.
We need to strike a better balance by maintaining the services our residents rely on while ensuring our tax and regulatory environment remains competitive. That means reducing unnecessary barriers, supporting small businesses, and using public-private partnerships that truly benefit the county to drive growth in areas like the green economy, transportation, and housing.
If we want companies to choose Montgomery County, we have to make it a place where businesses and their employees can thrive.
Josie Caballero (D)
Montgomery County has long been the beneficiary of our close proximity to Washington, D.C. and the federal workforce, many of whom call Montgomery County home. Yet due to the disruptions of the Trump Regime, we no longer can depend on the stability of the federal workforce. Another factor is the housing affordability crisis. New job creation is difficult because new industries consider employees’ cost of living before making large-scale investments that will require large numbers of workers to operate. It is no secret that over 50% of county workers have to commute from outside the county because they can’t afford to live here.
We must invest in more publicly funded workforce housing to help build the affordable housing we need to get us out of this crisis. We must start building instead of waiting for the perfect market conditions for investors’ bottom lines, so they can just build more luxury homes.
We have an opportunity with the completion of the Purple Line to create an economic and housing development zone that will show that we are growing here in Montgomery County, that will be attractive to new industry, and to build more affordable housing that is truly affordable.
Radwan Chowdhury (D)
Montgomery County has lagged in private-sector job growth due to regulatory complexity, slow permitting, high costs, and a lack of coordinated economic strategy.
To address this, I support streamlining approvals, investing in workforce development, and strengthening partnerships with key sectors like biotech, healthcare, and small businesses. We must also align land use with economic development—ensuring job centers are supported by housing and transit.
My Blueprint focuses on creating a business-friendly environment while maintaining equity and accountability. Growth and inclusion must go hand in hand.
Marc Elrich (D)
As I mentioned above, without infrastructure there can be no growth. Today, our bond limits are lower than they were 20 years ago. We can’t address current needs, let alone make major infrastructure investments, without that funding. Virginia and DC can leverage higher commercial property taxes to pay for bonds. Doing this would let us tackle the infrastructure problem. Additionally, the development approval processes in Virginia are more streamlined because they don’t have a system of dueling approvals where projects have to go through both the County and the Planning Board – a system that does not exist anywhere else in Maryland or Virginia.
While we get money from developers in the form of impact taxes, I would gladly exchange those fees for taxing districts. Impact taxes are large up-front payments that add to project cost at the start making them more expensive. There is no guarantee that those impact taxes will fund a project in the district where the money came from nor address a problem caused by a particular development. Taxing districts would fund bonds over 20-30 years resulting in smaller payments spread over 30 years.
Dana Gassaway (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Scott Goldberg (D)
Creating private sector jobs has never been a priority because conventional wisdom was always that we’d be a “company town” of the federal government. Well, the status quo has been blown up.
A change in policies alone won’t solve the massive size of this problem. It will take talented, aggressive, growth-minded people confronting the cultural shift necessary to transform the county from static to supercharged. Companies need to feel welcomed and that the government wants to be a true partner in their success. Laws won’t fix that. Relationships and attitudes will.
Hamza Khan (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Matt Losak (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Jim McNulty (D)
Montgomery County has priced itself out of competitiveness. Our income tax sits at the state maximum. Our regulatory environment is slow and unpredictable. And for the past eight years, county leadership has prioritized government expansion over private-sector growth — the budget grew 44% while businesses moved to Fairfax, Loudoun, and Frederick.
The fix starts with a culture change: county government should treat business attraction with the same urgency it gives social programs. Concretely, I’ll push MCEDC to deploy a Business Navigator model — a dedicated advocate who helps companies cut through permitting delays and access capital. I’ll champion Tax Increment Financing for “Big Swing” projects where job opportunities and housing can be added at scale.
In Gaithersburg, we have shown that a business-friendly culture and progressive policies can coexist. We’ve attracted innovative companies like X-energy’s global headquarters (500 jobs) and Vaisala. We’ve approved 3,500 new housing units, including the transformation redevelopment at Lakeforest that includes missing middle units like two-over-twos and triplexes—all while keeping our tax rate low.
If we want the business community to see Montgomery County as an attractive destination, we have to show we’re willing to partner with them to create the future we want for our residents.
Jeremiah Pope (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-Incumbent)
Montgomery County’s lag in private-sector job growth is not about a lack of talent or opportunity. It is about competitiveness. Costs too often outpace wages, and a complex, time-consuming permitting process creates barriers between an idea, groundbreaking, and opening day. Meanwhile, neighboring jurisdictions have moved faster and more strategically to attract and retain employers.
We can and must do better. As a Councilmember serving on the Economic Development Committee, I have passed laws to streamline permitting and zoning approvals so businesses can grow with confidence. I have supported policies strengthening small business support, expanding incubators, and providing access to capital. and investing in innovation to build a more vibrant and inclusive economy.
We should also modernize zoning to support mixed-use and transit-oriented development and repurpose underused office space to meet today’s needs. As part of the nation’s third-largest biotech corridor, we must align workforce development with high-demand industries like life sciences, cybersecurity, and green technology.
Finally, strategic investments in infrastructure, broadband, and vibrant business districts will make Montgomery County more competitive, more efficient, and more inclusive, ensuring opportunity reaches every community.
Prabu Selvam (D)
We have largely failed our residents when it comes to fostering private-sector growth and providing opportunities that capitalize on the talent, diversity, and work ethic of our residents. We need less bureaucratic and more rapid permitting, and greater investment in small business programs (including mentorship, grants, and loans). The Maryland Economic Development Association has found that $1 of local investment in businesses returns $9 in tax revenue. We are leaving so much on the table.
Restrictive housing policies have led to soaring prices and discouraged workers, especially young people, from living here. Our economic future depends on young, motivated people deciding to plant roots here, and that requires us to rapidly increase housing supply and provide more affordable housing options.
Finally, we have not met the need for in-demand skills such as biotech, cybersecurity, and early childhood education. We have some strong programs, but we need to significantly scale them to meet demand and add additional pipelines. This will empower those getting started and those making a mid-career change with good-paying jobs and naturally attract more businesses to locate here.
Karla Silvestre (D)
This is a long-term structural issue, not a short-term dip. Our private-sector job base has lagged the region for years, driven by slow execution, high costs, and less available, ready-to-build commercial space. We also face stronger competition from Northern Virginia, where the state has taken a more coordinated and business-friendly approach. We need to work with Maryland leaders to improve competitiveness and do a better job marketing both the state and Montgomery County.
Permitting is too slow and unpredictable, which creates risk and drives investment elsewhere. Our cost structure, including taxes, regulatory complexity, and the high cost of housing, makes it harder for businesses and workers to choose Montgomery County. At the same time, we’ve leaned heavily on federal jobs and contractors, which has limited diversification into faster-growing private industries.
To compete, we need to act on multiple fronts. I would set firm permitting timelines with public reporting, elevate the work of the Montgomery County Education Corporation, invest in site readiness for industries like life sciences, and align workforce pipelines with employer demand. We also need a stronger, coordinated marketing effort to attract and retain businesses and talent.
Steve Solomon (D)
This is one of the main problems we face. How do we create a better job pipeline from MCPS to jobs here in Montgomery County. We need to bring in more business to the county, but will businesses want to come here? Not if political conditions don’t suit them, or more importantly can they fill the jobs they need to fill with candidates here in Montgomery County. We need to expand STEM and vocational curriculum in our schools and prepare MCPS students for real world jobs. Right now, traffic congestion is often due to county residents traveling outside Montgomery County because that’s the only place they can find a job.
Lelia True (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Vicki Vergagni (D)
Economic development requires an understanding and compliance with business principles, including a clear market position to focus marketing efforts, human and physical resources to support the anticipated entities, competitive tax base.
Focus primarily on “medical” organizations in all forms. We are unique in this field.
Assure that all high school graduates can read/write English and do math at the 9th-grade level. (Per national standards, today’s graduates are at 56% of the population in the first category and 36% in the second.)
Focus on housing, health and higher education programs that support lower- to middle-income residents to assure a strong labor force.
Stop trying to tax County businesses and residents out of our economic challenge.
Muhammad Arif Wali (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Sherwin Wells (R)
Private Sector Jobs move to Business Friendly States and Counties and Montgomery County Maryland is not Business Friendly. Lengthy Permitting Process, High housing cost for workers, and other nearby jurisdictions are more business friendly.
Introduce same day permitting, implement affordable housing policies and incentives for businesses to relocate their headquarters to Montgomery County MD. This would grow the tax base and increase economic activity.