Virginia added more than twice as many jobs as Maryland in March

The economic development broken record played the same tune yet again in the Washington, D.C. region last month. Virginia destroyed Maryland in job creation once again, adding more than twice as many jobs in March 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Maryland added 2,300 jobs, while Virginia added 5,900 jobs. 

March's job creation numbers show Virginia's economy remained far stronger than moribund Maryland's in a month where both states were impacted by federal job cuts. The total number of actual federal positions lost remains murky, as legal injunctions or orders to rehire workers have followed many of the "DOGE" layoffs.

"This job growth reflects businesses hiring as Virginians continue to find opportunities," Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement. "Virginia has jobs, and we’re committed to strengthening the business environment so that everyone can find a path to success right here in the Commonwealth."

Elrich to veto Montgomery County Council's massive developer tax break

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has declared his intention to veto a bill recently passed by the Montgomery County Council, which would exempt new residential developments from property taxes for 20 years, if they provide at least 17.5% affordable units and are converted from - or replace - existing office buildings. The legislation would apply to so many projects that it would likely drain billions from County coffers over the next two decades, and bankrupt the County. Such projects are already being built in great numbers without the new incentive.

"This bill makes no sense," Elrich said in his weekly update video Friday. "It gives away desperately-needed revenues to the developers." The Council is expected to try to overturn Elrich's veto. Seven councilmembers will have to vote in favor of overturning the veto to be successful. "Now is the time to speak up," Elrich said, urging residents to contact their councilmembers, and tell them they oppose overturning Elrich's veto. Although all councilmembers have accepted financial contributions from developers, the vote to overturn Elrich's veto will be closely watched, to see which councilmembers are willing to risk fiscal oblivion merely to facilitate even-higher profits for their developer sugar daddies.

Montgomery County Council delivering tax hike for you, massive tax cut for developers

The Montgomery County Council reached a new low this week, taking an action of fiscal irresponsibility so bonkers, it should cost them their seats in the 2026 election. They have approved legislation that will exempt any redevelopment of an office property into housing from property taxes for 20 years, if the new development provides 17.5% affordable units. Meanwhile, the same Council is planning a massive property tax increase for you, the residents of Montgomery County. Yes, this continues a pattern of shifting the tax burden from the Council's developer sugar daddies onto you, the struggling homeowner or business property owner. But it goes beyond almost any corrupt action they've taken before, as it could end up bankrupting the County, which is already under fiscal stress from a structural budget deficit and a massive debt load.

More Housing N.O.W. - a name that anyone who struggles to navigate closed streets and sidewalks around apartment tower construction sites in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring would find laughable - is a legislative package cooked up by Councilmember Andrew Friedson (D - District 1). Loaded with developer giveaways, it appears to have been written by the developers themselves. Much like their plan to gift developers land taxpayers paid to acquire for a critical highway the Council canceled, forgoing billions in tax revenue and shifting the tax burden to you is a dereliction of duty by the Council.

Why would Friedson bring forward such an audaciously-corrupt tax break for developers? He's running for County Executive, and needs the money developers so generously provide to each of the current Councilmembers. And it's going to take a lot of money to win, especially if David Blair decides to take a third shot at the County Executive office in 2026. The seat is essentially Blair's for the taking, having lost by a handful of votes to Marc Elrich each of the previous times he ran. None of the candidates running next year have Elrich's name recognition, base of support, or voter goodwill that crosses party and demographic lines.

But barring Blair's entry into the field, developers will support Friedson. How did the unknown Friedson defeat the far-more-qualified and known former Kensington Mayor Peter Fosselman and the legendary Ana Sol Gutierrez, the first Latina ever elected to public office in Maryland, in a Democratic primary? It's not entirely clear even today, but the developer money didn't hurt. Developers haven't just mailed the checks to Friedson's campaign - they actually host fundraisers for him at their mansions.

More Housing N.O.W. is similar to another legislative victory developers enjoyed during the previous Council term, in that it simply juices the profits for development that would already happen without it. That was the bill that gave a 15-year property tax exemption (sound familiar?) to developers building residential housing on WMATA-owned land at Metro stations. Not only had such development taken place previously without this outrageous tax-free provision, but it was demanded by a development firm that had already committed to a project before attempting - and succeeding - in getting the Council to provide this tax exemption as a sweetener. Imagine their shocked and surprised delight when the knees of the Council buckled so easily to deliver such a windfall of cash, on top of the already massive profits they would be raking in.

It's no surprise they went back to the well again. After all, this Council is the biggest bunch of pushovers yet for their developer sugar daddies. The public is almost entirely unaware that this robbery of the public coffers is taking place. Or that they might be spending over $1000 more on their own property taxes next year, if they live anywhere in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, or parts of Kensington, Silver Spring, Rockville, or even Aspen Hill. Because if your home is valued at $1 million or more, that's how much your property tax bill will be going up under the tax hike currently before the Council.

Why would the tax exemption approved Tuesday potentially bankrupt the County, and/or require your property taxes to reach unimaginable heights in the coming decades?

First and foremost, we already know that residential housing generates more new costs in public services and infrastructure than it does in property tax revenue. That, along with the County Council's out-of-control spending this century, and anti-business policies that have scared companies away from locating here, is what has created our structural budget deficit in the first place. Now imagine what the deficits will be if a majority of new apartment buildings will be paying no property taxes at all for 20 years!

Second, the legislation has a misleading talking point behind it. Most people think of "office to housing conversion" as the reconfiguration of an office building into apartment or condo-sized residential units. But the package approved Tuesday provides the same 20-year tax exemption and expedited approval for demolishing an office building, and constructing an entirely new residential building in its place.

Third, because of the allowance for demolitions, the 20-year tax exemption will apply to a huge number of projects that were - or will be - planned without the More Housing N.O.W. developer giveaways in place. In fact, a large percentage of the new buildings constructed since the "Great Recession" have been built on the ashes of office buildings that were demolished to make way for them.

We've seen that even true office-to-housing conversions have taken place without these outlandish incentives, include a new condo development and new apartment property in downtown Silver Spring. Now think about all the other apartment and condo buildings that were torn down for residential over the last 15 years alone, where the developers did not demand a 20-year property tax exemption. Gallery Bethesda I and II, Sophia Bethesda, 4909 Auburn, Stonehall Bethesda, The Wilson/The Elm (7272 Wisconsin Avenue), 8001 Woodmont, Hampden House, The Met Rockville, AVA Wheaton, and the Fairchild Apartments in Germantown are just a few examples of post-"Great Recession" redevelopments of office properties. 

Imagine if all of these were paying no property taxes for 20 years! Now realize that the long-anticipated redevelopment of the massive GEICO campus in Chevy Chase - to name just one mega project - will bring in ZERO property tax revenue to County coffers for 20 years! This is criminal.

The good news is, it's not too late to stop the madness. You can stop the More Housing N.O.W. legislation by calling or emailing your Councilmember, and all of the At-Large Councilmembers, and telling them you want no more developer giveaways. It's very easy: the Council website shows all of the Councilmembers, and there's even a tool to help you learn who your district member is (the At-Large members also all represent you, which is why you want to contact all of them, as well).

County Executive Marc Elrich is expected to veto the More Housing N.O.W. legislation when it reaches his desk. The County Council will then have to override the veto to save the developers' 20-year property tax exemption. Tell your Councilmember you will vote them out, and you certainly won't vote to promote them to County Executive if they are running for that office, if they vote to override Elrich's veto. If for some crazy reason Elrich were to sign the tax break - or let it become law by not signing it - let the Council know you will vote them out just the same, if they don't repeal it.

You can also stop the massive property tax increase by telling your Councilmember at the same time that you will vote them out if they vote to raise your property taxes again this year or next year. And if they do - VOTE THEM OUT! You don't even have to vote for a Republican; you can just vote for the new Democrats who are running against the incumbents in the primary next year. But if they squeak through again to the general election, you have to seriously consider voting for any Republican, Green, or other party challenger who remains in their way. It's the inability to vote out the Council that has led to their outrageous misbehavior. 

Are you really going to vote again for the politicians who insiders say refer to you as "losers" and "suckers" in private, willing to pay any tax, accept any reduction in your quality of life, and countenance the totally incompetent leadership they dish out?

The voters of Montgomery County need to wake up. Some of you are awake and on-the-ball. That's likely why you are reading this article now in the first place. But it's not enough. I worry about some of the other residents in this county. What will it take for you wake up and rise up against the Montgomery County cartel and its handpicked Councilmembers, who have held a majority on the Council since 2002?

You've gotten a property tax hike every year except for FY-2015, when you received a tax "cut" of about $12. The next year, the Council dropped a 9% property tax increase anvil on you like Wile E. Coyote. They seemed to pay a price for that, when voters approved term limits a few months later in 2016. But...when it came to the 2018 Council election, the cartel's candidates won every seat again. Much like their victory over the Columbia Country Club with the Purple Line, they realized they could get away with anything, and you wouldn't do a thing about it come Election Day. Invincibility. Absolute power. Such things do not a Republic make.

One of the greatest political cartoons of all time that sums up this phenomenon once ran in The Gazette. It showed a Montgomery County voter bending over in front of then-County Executive Doug Duncan, who was wielding a large paddle with the words "tax hike" on it. The voter, with his head crooked around to look back toward Duncan, said, "Thank you, Sir. May I have another?" 

Don't be that guy anymore. It's not a good look. It's a sad state of affairs, really. Break smelling salts under your nose, if you have to. 

You're mad as hell, and you're not going to take it anymore. Go to the Council website. Pick up the phone, fire up the email, and let them know, "Enough is enough!" No 20-year property tax exemption for developers, and no property tax hikes for you.

Montgomery County's highway robbery

The Montgomery County Planning Board is on the verge of sending the County Council a draft of the latest Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (soon to be called the Master Plan of Walkways and Bikeways, if planners get any more woke) that will do many terrible things, chief among which is permanently removing any chance of building the long-delayed M-83 MidCounty Highway Extended from Montgomery Village Avenue to Clarksburg. If approved by the Board at its meeting this Thursday, April 10, and the Council at a later date, it will be the realization of a long-held fever dream by the War-on-Cars folks who suffer from Highway Derangement Syndrome, virtually all of whom have motored to their Kill M-83 meetings in the very cars they claim you need to get out of. It will also be a theft and reckless disposal of one of the most valuable public holdings government can possess: a transportation right-of-way.

Passage of this Master Plan will drive the stake through the heart of M-83, and confirm that once again County officials were lying through their teeth when they promised all stakeholders and residents of the Upcounty that they would deliver the infrastructure needed to support the massive housing development they had proposed for rural Clarksburg and Damascus. As we all know, all of the new housing was approved and constructed. But none of the supporting elements were. 

No M-83 Highway. No Corridor Cities Transitway light rail. And no high-wage jobs. All of these items were mandatory, but the Council didn't deliver a single one.

Now the Council is poised to throw away something that, frankly, is not theirs to discard. The highway project, and its right-of-way, belong to the taxpayers of Montgomery County. Planners are giddy to note in the Master Plan materials online that the County may not only remove the highway from the plan, but give the land away for free to the Councilmembers' developer sugar daddies. They've done this many times before, giving away public rights-of-way to developers via a "Declaration of No Further Need" abandonment.

A right-of-way is simply too valuable to waste. The Council is free to go down in history as the deranged and corrupt elected officials responsible for worsening traffic congestion, increased emissions from cars idling in traffic jams, and increased response times for police and fire calls by canceling an essential highway. It won't be the first time, as the Council already canceled the equally-long-planned new Potomac River crossing, the Northwest Freeway, the North Central Freeway, the Rockville Freeway, the Montrose Parkway East, and the Northern Parkway.

But a right-of-way is not theirs to give away. They have a responsibility to preserve it in total. No one can predict the needs of the future. Whether it is a road, or a railway, or some form of transportation or use we haven't even imagined yet, these are the scenarios for which smart governments obtain rights-of-way at great cost. Believe it or not, Montgomery County long ago had smart government.

This Master Plan draft represents a double betrayal of the public trust, first and foremost the trust of residents in Clarksburg, Damascus, and Goshen. People bought houses in Clarksburg and Damascus with the expectation of the M-83 and CCT providing viable options for commuting to the Shady Grove Metro station and beyond. Only to find the Planning Board and County Council pulling the rug out from under them after they had taken on their mortgage, and paid all the hefty fees and taxes to the County. But it is also the latest betrayal by the Council of one of its chief charges, stewardship of County assets and resources, which include planned highways and expensively-obtained rights-of-way. Canceling the M-83 is, quite simply, highway robbery.

Montgomery County planning sneaky speed limit cut on Josiah Henson Parkway

The Montgomery County Planning Board is on the verge of approving a War on Cars draft of the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways at its meeting this Thursday, April 10, 2025. Removal of the M-83 Highway (Midcounty Highway Extended) is the centerpiece of the document. Opponents of the highway have successfully blocked its construction for decades, but anti-highway officials on the Planning Board and County Council are seeking to take matters a deranged step further by removing any possibility of its construction, despite it being the most-essential piece of infrastructure to support the growth upcounty that has already been approved and realized over the last twenty years. Also buried within the document are thousands of speed limit reductions to 20 or 25 MPH, even on major state highways.

Just one of many egregious speed limit cuts proposed is on Josiah Henson Parkway, between the "Western edge of downtown White Flint" and E. Jefferson Street, and from E. Jefferson Street to Towne Road. The change would lower the speed limit from 40 MPH to 25 MPH. In addition, the street classification of Josiah Henson Parkway (a.k.a. Montrose Parkway) would be changed from "parkway" to "Downtown Boulevard."

If this sounds familiar, it's because it has already happened elsewhere in the County. Developers seeking to demolish homes, churches, and country clubs along major state highways, and replace them with urban apartment towers, were successful in politicizing the Maryland State Highway Administration during the Larry Hogan administration. Formerly staunch advocates of sound traffic engineering best practices, MDSHA became a political playtoy amenable to any request from local officials beholden to development interests. This led to major speed limit cuts on highways like Georgia Avenue and River Road.

Josiah Henson Parkway is a County road, and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation was politicized even earlier this century than MDSHA was. The speed limit drop and street reclassification request for the parkway is being made (surprise!) on behalf of developers who are seeking to redevelop the land around it. This is yet another abuse of the system in Montgomery County. Not only was our master plan highway system never completed, but we have a continual effort to further cripple the congested roadways that somehow got built. Taxpayers were charged a fortune to build Josiah Henson Parkway, a mere shadow of the Rockville Freeway that was originally intended to use this right-of-way between Falls Road in Potomac and the InterCounty Connector in Silver Spring. Further impeding the (already-compromised) vehicle throughput function of the road we paid for, to facilitate private developer profits, is an abuse, theft, and misuse of public property.

The revision of the master plan of highways is a massive compendium of many such abuses. Most of the public will be unaware of the changes proposed until the new speed limit signs are installed. The document is fully "woke," to be sure. And while planners are smugly proud of their newfound power to ram things through over any public objection - a.k.a. dictatorship - they are most proud of the document's "Racial Equity and Social Justice Statement," which pretty much tells you how insane and out-of-touch-with-reality planning and governing in Montgomery County have become.

Montgomery County protesters head to Hands Off! demonstration in D.C.

Protesters wrapped in Canadian and Ukrainian flags filed into Montgomery County Metro stations this morning. They were heading to the Hands Off! demonstration in Washington, D.C., where supporters are expecting 20,000 attendees. The protests are criticizing President Donald Trump, and the DOGE government waste initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk. Montgomery County Congressman Jamie Raskin and Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar are on the speaking list. 

The event is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation of Government Employees, Planned Parenthood, and the George Soros-funded Indivisible. A livestream of the event will be available on YouTube beginning at 12:00 PM today, April 5, 2025.

Tesla vandalized in Rockville Town Center

Politically-motivated vandalism against Tesla vehicles and facilities has come to Rockville. A Tesla owner reported that their car was parked in the 200 block of N. Washington Street at 1:22 AM on March 26, 2025, when a male suspect approached and intentionally scratched a rear door on the vehicle. Rockville City police describe the suspect as a "Hispanic or light-skinned" Black male with long dreadlocks. He was wearing a black jacket with yellow shoulders and yellow-and-red trim, light-colored blue jeans, and a black shirt. No images of the suspect from the Tesla vehicle's many cameras have been released as of this writing. If you can assist detectives in identifying the suspect, call 240-314-8900.

Grocery stores take aim at antiquated Maryland liquor laws again

Several grocery chains in Montgomery County are once again enlisting customers in the struggle to overturn the antiquated liquor laws that prevent them from selling beer and wine in Maryland. Signage paid for by the Consumer Freedom Coalition prompts customers to contact their legislators in Annapolis to support bills that would allow grocery stores to sell beer and wine, but not liquor. However, once again, the machine is prevailing in the state capital, and those bills appear unlikely to pass during this session.

The effort had the support of Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who was eager to back a popular cause to distract from the new taxes and fees in the FY-2026 state budget, but was opposed by powerful Democrats on committees that first had to approve the bills to move them to the floor for a wider vote. Harris Teeter was the loudest advocate for the change during the administration of previous Governor Larry Hogan, but the campaign stalled when the pandemic hit, and liquor law changes became focused on assisting bars and restaurants by allowing take-out cocktails, for example. Safeway has joined Harris Teeter in the 2025 push for the bills. Yet neither major corporation has been able to influence enough Maryland Democrats to sign on to supermarket sales, and those same Democrats have yet to pay a price at the ballot box for their continued defiance of the popular will on the matter.

MCPS teacher removed from classroom over mistreatment of hijab-wearing student

Montgomery County Public Schools has removed a teacher from a classroom at Cabin Branch Elementary School at 14129 Dunlin Street in Clarksburg, and ordered that he have no further contact with a student he is alleged to have mistreated. The 8-year-old American Muslim student reported that she was harassed, humiliated, threatened, and intimidated by the teacher, primarily over her hijab. She was allegedly given harsher penalties than her classmates, was denied drinking water and bathroom access, and was told to remove her hijab. 

Her father, who is a U.S. military veteran, told the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that her alleged mistreatment - which led to anxiety and panic attacks at school - was "profoundly disheartening." He welcomed today's actions by MCPS toward resolving the issue.

“It means everything to my family that my daughter can now feel safe in class," the student's father said in a statement. "This situation caused us a lot of stress and worry as parents, my daughter was afraid to go to school before. She’s young, she was struggling with what the teacher did. No one’s kid should have to deal with this kind of situation from their teachers, no matter their religion. Our family knows we can count on CAIR for support through these situations. CAIR has had our back, their help has given my family peace of mind.” 

“We applaud this family’s courage in coming forward for their daughter’s sake and we acknowledge Montgomery County Public Schools for taking swift action to address this complaint,” CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said in a statement this afternoon. “CAIR encourages all school districts to routinely provide comprehensive cultural competency and anti-discrimination trainings for all of their educators. It’s essential that they’re accountable to fostering an inclusive and respectful learning environment for all students, regardless of their background.” 

Virginia beats Maryland in January job growth

Virginia hammered Maryland in job growth once again in January 2025. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Virginia added 7,100 jobs in January, while Maryland only created 4,900. The BLS also revised Virginia's numbers from December upward, with the Old Dominion's jobs-added figure rising from 4,900 to 14,200. Maryland had infamously only gained a paltry 200 jobs in December.

“More Virginians are working than ever in the Commonwealth as jobs and opportunity continue to expand in Virginia,” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement Tuesday. “In January, the Commonwealth added 7,100 nonfarm jobs, building on the upwardly revised job gains in December. This performance underscores the success of our pro-business policies and our ongoing focus on workforce development, which are providing Virginia companies the talent they need to grow and Virginians with the opportunities to succeed.” 

If Maryland loses FBI HQ, Gov. Wes Moore may have only himself to blame

If Maryland loses the FBI headquarters it thought it won in a beauty contest during the Biden administration, Governor Wes Moore may have only himself - and his devotees in the press - to blame. Moore lashed out at President Donald Trump after Trump declared the FBI would be staying in D.C. during a speech at the Department of Justice last week. He called Trump's statement political - and he was right, but not in the way he thought. It was Moore who played politics badly almost a month ago.

Moore initially took a more measured approach after Trump's victory last November. It appeared their relationship was off to a promising start when Trump appointed Moore to the bipartisan Council of Governors last month. But then Moore attended a meeting of governors from across the country at The White House, and went on a press tour to say that Trump had gone "off the rails" at the event. Eager to champion any Democrat who will forcefully take on Trump, and overeager to bolster Moore's bid for the presidency in 2028, the media began publishing reports and encouraging Moore to boost his attacks.

"Maryland Governor Wes Moore appears to have dismissed any possibility of working with President Donald Trump," Maryland Matters reported. "Any possibility?" Does that sound like a wise position to take when the state depends on the federal government in so many ways?

Moore told reporters that he supported Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown's lawsuits against the Trump administration. He said he was "deeply underwhelmed" and "troubled" by Trump. Moore described Trump's speech as "an hour-long diatribe of conspiracy theories and attacks." The Baltimore Sun said Moore was "more determined to push back" against the President. Many Democrats and journalists were positively giddy about Moore's rants against Trump, despite a replacement Key Bridge and the FBI HQ being just two major projects hanging in the balance.

Imagine if Moore had taken a different approach, especially knowing that other politicians have followed a rather simple strategy to forge a successful relationship with Trump. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has met privately with Trump for dialogue outside of the public view, rather than fire invective through the press. She has acceded to several Trump priorities over the last few months, either by verbal intent, or by action, such as the removal of Black Lives Matter Plaza. As a result, a major cut to the D.C. budget was overturned by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate at the 11th hour, and Trump has so far not followed through on his threats to intervene in city affairs. 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, off to a rocky start at home, put on a master class in Trump diplomacy during his White House visit. With a flourish, out came an invitation to visit King Charles, a clear play on Trump's oft-stated affection for the British Royal Family. And the contrasting approaches of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan toward Trump have had predictably-opposite outcomes. All three of those who established a successful rapport with Trump used a combination of flattery and pragmatism, while holding firm on certain principles that were cast as furthering Trump's objectives. Those who simply attacked ended up empty handed.

It's no surprise, then, that Trump would not hesitate to pull back the FBI headquarters after a barrage of attacks from Moore through the media. In a state that has failed to score any big economic development wins in the private sector for decades, fumbling the rare infusion of government largess the FBI HQ represented was an unforced error by Moore.

Rendering via Prince George's County 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's poll numbers drop as he pushes unpopular tax, fee hikes

Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) received more bad news from poll results this week, as his highly-unpopular plan to raise multiple taxes and fees - and introduce new ones - is tanking his approval rating across the state. 55% of registered voters approve of the governor, down from 61% in January, according to the Gonzales Poll released Wednesday. 50% of those polled said they believe the state is heading in the wrong direction. 58% labeled Maryland's economy as "fair or poor" - that has risen by 4 points since the University of Maryland Baltimore County poll in late February.

The combination of Maryland's moribund economy, Moore's tax hike plan, his proposed 75-cent tax on all Amazon and food deliveries from firms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, his EmPOWER MD fee that caused electricity rates to skyrocket this winter, and his squandering of a $5.5 billion surplus left by his predecessor, Republican Larry Hogan, is leading some to ask if Moore is up to the job of leading the state. That's quite a change from the beginning of his term, when the primary question was how long he would serve before running for the White House. 

Moore's stellar resume suggested he would lead with strength and competence in all relevant areas. The promised business acumen has yet to emerge, his handling of Maryland's finances has paled next to Hogan's tax-hike-free eight years of fiscal stability, and the state's long-moribund economy has made Moore's plans for massive new spending on social programs and education a difficult-to-impossible mission.

"No Moore" campaign posts video critiquing governor

Contributing to the public's attention to Moore's struggles was a decision by the Maryland Democratic Party to begin attacking an anonymously-led campaign called "No Moore." But in demanding the State Board of Elections unmask the group, and investigate it for unsubstantiated violations of election law, the party wound up elevating public awareness of No Moore - along with the number of its followers on social media. Moore's office distanced itself from that effort. No Moore wasted no time in leveraging its newfound support, posting a video critiquing Moore on X yesterday morning.

Argan moves corporate HQ from Rockville to Arlington, Virginia

Montgomery County has lost yet another corporate headquarters to Northern Virginia. Argan, Inc., announced yesterday that it has relocated its HQ from 1 Church Street in Rockville to Two Liberty Center in Arlington. The telecommunications and power industry service provider was founded in Rockville over two decades ago. Argan cited the new location's direct access to Dulles International Airport as one of the primary reasons for the move. The firm's stock price doubled, and surged 33% in two days at one point in 2024, and is up about $10 since then, to $104.05 as of this morning.

It's no surprise that Argan, like so many companies, is heading for greener pastures across the Potomac. Montgomery County and Maryland leaders have defiantly refused to construct the long-planned bridge across the river that would provide our own direct connection between the I-270 corridor and the Dulles area. Dulles is the only airport in the region that provides the frequency and variety of direct flights to global destinations demanded by international businesspeople. And let's fact it: Virginia's lower taxes, fewer regulations, and status as CNBC's "Top State for Business in America" certainly didn't hurt. 

Northern Virginia has other advantages for a firm that primarily deals with power plants and telecommunications infrastructure. Maryland leaders have forced the closure of 8 power plants since 2012 alone, and the state is now forced to import 40% of its electricity from out-of-state at higher prices to avoid rolling blackouts. 70% of internet traffic around the globe flows through data centers in Northern Virginia. And the Old Dominion has invested far more in highway, air transport, railroads, and ports than Maryland. It's no wonder Montgomery County has failed to attract a single new major corporate HQ in over 25 years.

"We are thrilled with the move to our new headquarters location in Arlington, Virginia," Argan CEO David Watson said in a statement. "We believe the location and layout will accommodate the Company’s continued growth, improve recruitment and retention of employees, and facilitate greater collaboration and a more productive overall work environment. The Washington metro area has a dynamic and robust economy with a quality workforce, and we look forward to leveraging our new location to enhance the experience of Argan’s current and future employees, partners and customers. The Company’s more than 22 years in Rockville, Maryland where Argan was founded, have been both meaningful and productive, and we look forward to continuing our success in our new home in Arlington."

Montgomery County goes green...with envy of Loudoun County

The Montgomery County Council is all-but-certain to hike property taxes on residents again in the fiscal year starting this July. They've done it every year in recent times, except for a paltry average $12 "tax cut" in the election year of 2014. By contrast, Loudoun County, Virginia across the river will be delivering a property tax cut to residents there this year. The difference? Not only more business growth and jobs created than Montgomery County over the last decade, but its new position as "data center capital of the world," The Washington Post reported earlier this week.

A shocking new statistic emerged in the Post report on the budget situations in the five biggest counties in Northern Virginia. Loudoun County's data centers generate a full 38% of that county's total revenue. Data centers are often criticized for representing very few jobs, as staffing is minimal at each. But they clearly generate bigtime revenue.

Of course, these data centers require massive amounts of electricity, something Montgomery County and Maryland lack because our elected officials ordered the closure of 8 coal-fired power plants across the state since 2012. High-wage jobs are something else MoCo lacks, as it has failed to attract any new major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. Heckuva job, Brownie! 

While I would rather see an aerospace research facility, or a major defense firm headquarters fill our underutilized and vacant office parks, imagine if there was a data center on each of the office properties among those that have been converted to luxury townhomes in recent years. Residential housing is a revenue loser for the County, as our structural budget deficit proves. Data centers are a revenue winner, as homeowners in Loudoun County will be delighted to tell you, when they receive their FY-2026 property tax cut.

BigBear.ai moves HQ from Maryland to Virginia

Oh, no, not again! Moribund Maryland has just lost yet another corporate headquarters to Virginia. BigBear.ai has moved its HQ from Columbia, Maryland to a Class A trophy office building in Tysons, Virginia, The Business Journals reports. Its new address is the Valo Park building at 7950 Jones Branch Drive. The move caps off a month of great news for the company and its investors. It not only picked up coveted new contracts from the Army and Navy, but hired a new CEO who was a high-level adviser to President Donald Trump, giving it an edge in any DOGE-sizing at the Pentagon.

Valo Park not only enjoys easy access to I-495, but its website notes it is only a 15-minute drive from Dulles International Airport. No Montgomery County or Maryland business can make that claim, as leaders of both jurisdictions for decades have blocked construction of the long-planned I-370 Potomac River crossing to the Dulles area. Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years, and Maryland's record is about the same. Both have lost many HQs to Virginia, among other states, and now the trend continues to play out. Tysons is the happening place to be; you can feel the energy just driving through on the Beltway, among all of the neon corporate logos that light up the night. Montgomery County is Sleepy Town, a bedroom community for the booming job centers elsewhere in the region - such as Tysons!

The loss of BigBear.ai is particularly humiliating for Maryland, as Governor Wes Moore has stated that artificial intelligence is one of the key economic sectors he wants to grow. Alas, Maryland not only has much higher taxes, but much less electricity generation capacity, after the Democrat-controlled Maryland legislature forced the closure of 8 coal-fired power plants. They apparently were unaware that artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of energy. Virginia has that capacity, while Maryland has to import expensive electricity from out-of-state at boardwalk prices just to keep the lights on. We're being governed by very stupid people, folks. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Montgomery County to lose more jobs to housing in Rockville

Another valuable Montgomery County office park property could be lost to residential housing, if the City of Rockville approves a proposal to convert it into condos and townhomes. 1455 Research Boulevard, one of many office sites located in the I-270 corridor of the County, would become 106 townhomes, 30 stacked condo townhomes, and 72 multifamily condo units, under the plan envisioned by developer Pulte. The company is building several similar developments in the City, including within the new Farmstead community, as well as in the King Farm, and Tower Oaks areas. Pulte's site plan is likely to be reviewed at a public hearing by the Rockville Planning Commission in summer or fall of 2025.

The existing office building, which was only constructed
about 30 years ago

The existing office building contains 17 office suites, 10 of which are currently leased, according to the property website. So the building is 59% leased. The property is 10.6 acres in size, meaning that it would still be ideal for a corporate headquarters, or a research, lab, and/or manufacturing facility, if the existing building were torn down for that purpose. It is directly adjacent to I-270. To state the obvious, all of the jobs currently provided by the current tenants of the building will likely be lost to the City and County in a conversion to housing. And the many more potential, high-wage jobs that could fill this office park site - and the resulting revenue - will never be realized.

Pulte's proposed redevelopment plan
for residential housing

From a County revenue standpoint, filling the current building, or replacing it with a major corporate headquarters or facility, would be more ideal than filling the site with residential housing. That's because residential housing, as we have seen this century, generates more costs in County services and infrastructure demands than it does in tax revenue. Hence the County's structural budget deficit, which extends as far into the future as the forecasts go. And do you remember "smart growth," which included placing jobs near housing, to reduce congestion and auto emissions in the I-270 corridor? Neither do the County Council and Planning Board, which don't even talk about "smart growth" anymore, having abandoned its fictional, expedient construct for the equally-fictional canards of "affordable," "attainable," "equity," "inclusionary," and "missing middle" - all code words bandied about in a nationwide campaign to allow upzoning for higher-density luxury housing in existing suburban neighborhoods.

Office, research, manufacturing and commercial uses, in contrast, generate less traffic and require no additional school capacity, for example. The problem is that the Council has driven the County's economy into the ditch over the last 23 years, through radical anti-business policies, and a failure to provide the necessary infrastructure to compete with Northern Virginia, such as direct highway access to Dulles International Airport via a new Potomac River crossing. Montgomery County has not only lost every competition for major corporate headquarters to Virginia during this time, but is most often not even in the hunt for these opportunities.

As a result, Montgomery County has failed to attract a single major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. While MoCo leaders slumbered this century, Virginia added the HQs of Northrop Grumman, Intelsat, Hilton Hotels, Nestle, Lidl, Gerber, Volkswagen, Corporate Executive Board, Amazon HQ2, CoStar, Lego, and more. And those are just ones we lost to Virginia! 

Montgomery County has been left to spend large sums just to retain some of the HQs it had, like Marriott International, Choice Hotels, and GEICO, all of which have downsized when making their moves. In addition to such rearrangements of the deck chairs aboard the Titanic, Montgomery County has lost still other HQs that it had altogether. While the Council argued about the legality of circus animals one week last decade, representatives of New York City and Knoxville were completing final, secret negotiations that sealed their victory in snatching away the Discovery Communications HQ from downtown Silver Spring.

Obviously, property owners such as those at 1455 Research Boulevard can't be blamed for all this. They, understandably, are not going to simply wait for a future ousting of the Montgomery County cartel from power to maximize their investment. So we are likely to end up with more residential housing at this site. The Council is not sad about that, as their developer sugar daddies want them to keep Montgomery County bad-for-business, so that prime office park sites can become residential housing sites instead. Virginia prepares and markets such office/industrial properties extensively to international businesses, and reaps the spectacular results; Montgomery County just waits for someone to build housing on them. Too bad that Montgomery County residents will continue to shoulder the increasing tax burden to make up for all of this lost business and commercial revenue. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Montgomery County minimum wage to increase by 50 cents on July 1, 2025

Montgomery County's minimum wage is set to increase on July 1, 2025, reflecting the region's inflation rate, as mandated by County law. The adjustments will see a 50-cent per hour increase across all employer sizes. Effective July 1st, large employers (those with 51 or more employees) will be required to pay a minimum wage of $17.65 per hour. Mid-size employers (11-50 employees) will see their minimum wage rise to $16 per hour, and small employers (10 or fewer employees) will be required to pay $15.50 per hour.

The wage increase is directly tied to the 2.9 percent rise in the consumer price index for all urban wage earners and clerical workers in the Washington, D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria area in 2024. This increase over the 2.8 percent seen in 2023 triggered the adjustment, which the County says ensures the local minimum wage maintains its purchasing power in the face of rising costs.

“Raising the minimum wage to account for inflation is an important step in ensuring that all Montgomery County workers can earn a fair wage that supports their well-being,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. “As the cost of living continues to rise, this increase helps workers and families keep pace while also benefitting local businesses by putting more money back into our community. By indexing the minimum wage to inflation, we are providing a long-term solution that adjusts to economic conditions, making sure that working people are rewarded fairly for their contributions and that our local economy stays strong and resilient.”

County estimates state that this minimum wage increase will boost the income of those receiving the minimum wage by $1,040 this year. The minimum wage law was passed by the Montgomery County Council in 2017, and was spearheaded by Elrich, who was a Councilmember at that time.

Maryland bill would force hunters to use "non-toxic" ammunition

Democratic lawmakers in the Maryland General Assembly are seeking to ban the use of lead ammunition by hunters in the state. House Bill 741 and Senate Bill 634 would mandate that hunters of any type of game in Maryland utilize "non-toxic" ammunition by no later than July 1, 2029. "Non-toxic" ammunition is defined in the bills as ammo containing 1% or less lead content. The bills would also alter the definition of "hunt" to no longer exclude "the sport of fox chasing."

The Sportsmen's Alliance, an organization representing the interests of individual hunters, anglers, and trappers, opposes the bills. It warned of the economic damage such a ban would have in Maryland. "Hunters contribute $328 million to the economy, directly support over 4,100 jobs, and provide over $29 million to state and local taxes," the Alliance noted in a statement. "This is a loss the Old Line State cannot afford." The Maryland Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee will hold a hearing on the Senate bill on March 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM.

Photo courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Majority of Maryland residents have considered leaving the state, poll finds

The University of Maryland Baltimore County continues to drop new results from its recent poll of Maryland residents, and the hits just keep on coming for the state's struggling and inept elected officials. Yesterday's release showed that a majority of the residents polled have considered moving out of Maryland to another state within the past year. A full 53% said, yes, they have considered leaving Maryland in the next few years.

Montgomery County has seen a flight of the rich to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region this century, and those expats have taken millions of dollars in tax revenue with them. There were no longer enough high-end shoppers to sustain the stretch of Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights that was once touted as "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive," leaving behind rows of empty storefronts. Maryland experienced a similar exodus after passing its "Millionaires' Tax" in 2012, only to find that 1000 millionaires had fled the state just two years later.

54% who were interviewed by UMBC said Maryland is a "poor or fair" place to start a business. That's not surprising, given that 67% of respondents also agreed that the state's economy is moribund. 

Maryland not only has gained a terrible reputation as an anti-business state internationally, but is increasingly seen by aging residents as a terrible place to retire, as well. The largest group of respondents, 37%, said Maryland is a "poor" state to retire in. 64% concluded that Maryland is a "poor or fair" retirement destination. Again, not very surprising, as increasing numbers of retirees leave Maryland behind for Delaware or Florida.

Almost half of those polled said Maryland is a "poor or fair" state to seek a K-12 education in. That's quite a drop from two decades ago, when Maryland's schools were seen as among the best in the nation. Only 11% believe Maryland is an "excellent" place to find a job. Well, you can't blame them: most of the jobs that give Montgomery County and Maryland low unemployment rates are actually located in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.

67% of residents agree Maryland economy is moribund

Last decade, this website was a lonely voice in the media landscape warning that the economies of Montgomery County and Maryland were moribund. Since 2018, powerful voices such as the editorial board of The Washington Post, two-time County Executive candidate David Blair, and even Maryland Governor Wes Moore have reached the same conclusion. Now, an overwhelming majority of Maryland residents are also saying the state's economy has stagnated. 67% of residents polled by the University of Maryland Baltimore County declared Maryland's economy as "poor" or "fair." Results of the poll were released Tuesday by UMBC.

49% of residents told pollsters that Maryland is "on the wrong track." 62% are concerned about the amount of taxes Maryland residents pay. That's not a major shock, as Maryland is one of the states with the highest tax burden in America, and Montgomery County has the highest tax and fee burden of any jurisdiction in the Washington, D.C. area. 77% of residents want lawmakers to focus on crime, but would probably be surprised to learn that the only crime bills likely to pass in the current session of the state legislature will loosen up on criminals, instead of cracking down.