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.

Rockville land auction underway for I-270-adjacent plot

An auction of a unique commercial property adjacent to I-270 in Rockville is underway online, and will conclude today, February 26, 2025, at 12:00 PM. You can follow the action online this morning, even if you are not in a financial position to bid. The off-ramp to Redland Boulevard on the northbound side of the highway wraps around the plot. As of this writing, the top bid for the 2.09 acre site is $325,000. A previously-scheduled auction of the property in mid-January apparently was postponed, or failed to draw a qualifying bid. 

The property would be ideal for any business that wants to have visibility, and possible logo signage exposure, from heavily-traveled I-270. Less than ideal are the ingress/egress possibilities onto a one-way off-ramp, and the blind curve for traffic rounding the bend to reach Redland Boulevard. And while access from I-270 would be quick and excellent, getting onto the interstate from the site would be a logistical chore.

Montgomery County Council seeks new $20K+ demolition tax on teardowns for new homes

Housing prices are out-of-this-world in Montgomery County, but leave it to the radical Montgomery County Council to raise them even further. Councilmembers Kristin Mink (D - District 5) and Will Jawando (D - At-Large) are sponsoring a bill that would impose a "demolition tax" when a home is torn down, or even partially-demolished. The new excise tax would begin at $20,000, and then rise in future years, as the tax will be linked to the Consumer Price Index as of July 1 each year. As anyone who understands basic economics knows, the $20,000+ amount will be fully passed on to the homebuyer purchasing the new house, or the homeowner investing in the new home or renovation. It's shocking the Council would deliberately impose a massive increase in home prices like this.

In true Communist fashion, the money the Council steals from struggling homebuyers via the new tax will be shifted into the Montgomery County Housing Production Fund to finance "affordable" housing projects. Comrade, er, Councilmember Evan Glass (D - At Large) proposed a similar demolition tax in 2019, but it failed to pass that year. A public hearing on Bill 5-25 has been tentatively scheduled for March 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM at the County Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.

Police respond to robbery, assault at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

A streak of robberies at Westfield Montgomery Mall at the beginning of 2025 has now extended to four. The latest incident was a strong-arm robbery that was reported at 8:05 PM last Friday night, February 21. Just five minutes earlier, Montgomery County police had received a report of a 2nd-degree assault at the mall. That was the first assault reported at the property in 2025. 

Police had taken a more-visible role in security at the mall two weekends prior, following the robberies on January 26 and 27, and February 4. Eleven assaults were reported at the mall last year, five in 2023, and twelve in 2022. Montgomery County police announced the opening of a resource room at the popular retail center in 2022. The mall's ownership replaced the leadership team for the property last November.

Assault in Rockville parking lot

Rockville City police responded to a report of an aggravated assault on Rockville Pike yesterday afternoon, February 23, 2025. The assault was reported at 4:35 PM Sunday. It took place in a commercial parking lot in the 1000 block of Rockville Pike.

Buy Buy Baby's last day in Rockville is Tuesday

Buy Buy Baby is saying Bye Bye to Rockville this week at 1683 Rockville Pike at Congressional Plaza. And this time, it's likely for good. Tuesday, February 25, 2025 will be the last day at this location, and your last chance to take advantage of the closing sale. 

Buy Buy Baby tried closing for good in the summer of 2023, when the oddly-named and unknown New Jersey company Dream on Me acquired the struggling chain, and planned to make it an online-only retail operation. It abruptly changed course that fall, and reopened some of the bricks-and-mortar locations, including this one. 

Closing time tomorrow night will truly be the end of an era, as the very first Buy Buy Baby store in America opened here in Rockville in 1996. You may almost be able to see Tower Records through your tears as you exit the store for the last time. He's reaching for "Crash," but - oh, last minute save! - he's wisely picking up "Pinkerton" instead. Into the yellow bag it goes! Buy Buy!