By Lindsey Robbins Published January 12, 2010 Prince George’s Gazette
Commercial development around mass transit centers remains a top priority for the county’s economic development, lawmakers told the Prince George’s County Business Roundtable at its annual meeting Monday in Clinton.
Del. Melony G. Griffith (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro, chairwoman of the county delegation, talked about the day in the future when she could step out of a Metro stop and pick up “a bagel, coffee and a nice handbag.”
But Griffith also warned that financing such growth will have to be balanced with the fiscal challenges the county and state face, with Maryland struggling with an almost $2 billion deficit.
“It’s going to be the toughest 90 days in our political careers,” she said, referring to the General Assembly session in Annapolis, which opened Wednesday. Lawmakers are going to have to cut deeply into various programs, she said.
Roundtable Board Chair Timothy Adams with County Senate Delegation Chair Douglas J.J. Peters (right) and County House of Delegates Chair Melony G. Griffith
“The way to create new jobs is to nurture the businesses that are already here,” U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) told the group. He also cautioned that such growth is difficult when most businesses are still holding back out of concern for the future.
Cardin, of Pikesville, mentioned some potential economic stimulators for the county, such as its appeal as a growth area for federal facilities and its “ideal” location for the cybersecurity industry.
Prince George’s proximity to the nation’s capital and the open development space around its mass transit facilities provide numerous possibilities for the industry, Cardin said. He also discussed cybersecurity at an event in Gaithersburg earlier Monday, where Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) unveiled a plan to make the state a global industry leader.
Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Dist. 23) of Bowie, co-owner of Metropolitan Archives in Cheverly, said the state also needs a proper definition of small businesses, as various bills include different definitions. Peters is working on legislation to protect businesses with fewer than 25 employees from rising costs within the unemployment insurance trust fund.
Peters also urged that a new owner of the county’s health facilities must be decided this year, saying the county has nine bidders for the facilities. Dimensions Health Care currently manages several medical facilities in the county, including Laurel Regional Hospital, Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital and Nursing Center, and the Prince George’s Hospital Center.
“The hospitals want this to succeed,” Peters said.
Cardin praised the county, saying Prince George’s has seen marked improvements in safety, education and economic ventures.
“Congratulations on bucking the national trend,” Cardin said. “This has been a tough year for our nation, but, I think, a good year for Prince George’s County.”
He referred to the progress referenced in the roundtable’s newly released Prince George’s County Quality of Life Index. That includes sales tax collections growing to $475 million in 2009 from $354 million in 2004; the county’s drop in vehicle thefts to 3,495 in 2009 from 15,388 in 2003; and the growth in the county’s qualified teachers to 82 percent in 2009 from 48.6 percent in 2004.
The index, which was two years in the making, gathers data about the county’s economy, education, safety, transportation, health, and parks and recreation sectors.
“This will allow us to identify opportunities by exposing them,” said Geoff Pohanka, CEO of the Pohanka Group auto dealerships and leading force behind the index.
Cardin also fielded questions about the medical insurance legislation in Congress, now heading to a conference committee.
Michael J. Chiaramonte, CEO of Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton and former chairman of the roundtable, questioned whether Maryland would be allowed to keep its all-payer system, which requires private and federal insurance organizations to pay for their fair share of hospital costs through rates set by the Health Services Cost Review Commission.
Cardin said this system would remain unless Congress adopts a public insurance option, which would require language regarding Maryland’s system.
