La Plata, MD – Charles County has decried the lack of economic development for years. The need for new jobs is great. When most residents get up in the morning and head to metropolitan destinations for their employment, that bodes ill for a county where 60 percent of its population migrates on a daily basis to jobs elsewhere.
Yet, there are signs of light at the end of the tunnel.
The groundbreaking last week for the new Hughesville campus of the College of Southern Maryland—touted as a workforce development asset—is one positive step. Another was the Economic Development Summit held Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Waldorf.
One aspect of that event was the revelation that Charles County has a rich array of assets which have all the earmarks county officials could possibly want for economic development: historic sites, a plethora of natural sites ranging from an endangered magnolia bog to a thriving bass fishery, proximity to Washington, DC, and all the impetus in the world.
“We are establishing a process where stakeholders can participate in economic development activities as we move forward,” said Darrell Brown, Charles County director of Economic Development. “We wanted to do things differently. We need to figure out how to move Charles County forward.”
County Administrator Michael Mallinoff said the county began this process back in May with his hiring and the addition of Brown in July.
“The beauty of this county is an important point,” he said. “It’s a powerful economic development tool for the county.”
He said the county’s proximity to the Nation’s Capital and its AAA bond rating “is as good as it gets.”
“Our goal is to create an environment in Charles County where businesses can prosper,” Brown added.
He said the county is creating both short term and long term goals.
“We have taken the first steps,” he said. “We have work to do,” Brown added, “we need to work toward a renewed sense of collective purpose. The plan will be the thing that gets us going in the same direction.
“We all must work together,” he noted. “We must talk with each other instead of at each other.”
Natalia Olson-Urtecho, regional administrator for the United States Small Business Administration, said that for the county to succeed in its efforts, they must work together with state and federal programs.
“You must take advantage of the resources,” she said.
Jayson Knott, program director for the Office of Business Development at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, told the gathering that 65 percent of job growth in the state is coming from small business.
“Economic development is a team sport,” Knott explained.
Indian Head Mayor Brandon Paulin, elected to office at age 19, got a chuckle when he recounted that former councilmember Ed Rice once told him, “You’re the only 13-year-old who ever sat through the entire budget process.”
The town is an exemplary example of a location in dire need of economic stimulus.
Paulin said it is “absolutely” a cooperative process between the town, county, state and federal governments.
“We know the town’s potential,” he said. “Let’s bring it up to its potential. I may not know everything,” Paulin added, “but I can bring energy to any situation.”
That energy is needed throughout the county for certain.
County leaders understand that while immediate progress may not be discernable in the immediate future, in the long run, efforts being in put in place today may well yield benefits.
For some, such as Indian Head, sooner would be better than later, but prospects for a brighter economic outcome appear to be just around the corner. And most admit, the first steps are always the hardest.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com