Councilmember Glass Reaches Agreement with Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation to Expand Access to Open Meetings

From the Office of Councilmember Evan Glass

Councilmember Glass Reaches Agreement with Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation to Expand Access to Open Meetings

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Rockville, Md., November 30, 2021 — Councilmember Evan Glass has reached an agreement with the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) to live stream and archive the organization’s open meetings. This new protocol was the result of months-long discussions to facilitate greater public engagement in the important economic development activities undertaken by MCEDC.

As a result of the agreement, Councilmember Glass has withdrawn Bill 11-21, legislation that would have required MCEDC to live stream and archive its open meetings. Originally introduced on March 2, 2021, the legislation was co-sponsored by Council President Hucker, Vice President Albornoz and Councilmembers Jawando, Katz, Navarro and Rice.

“Expanding economic opportunity within the county is a top priority of mine,” said Councilmember Glass. “I am pleased by MCEDC’s decision to live stream and record their meetings. This new protocol will allow individuals interested in the county’s economic strategic plan to engage in our public discussions and follow our investments for themselves. I appreciate the collaboration with MCEDC’s leadership to find an accessible way for business leaders and residents to learn about their important work.”

MCEDC is the official public-private economic development organization representing Montgomery County. Its mission is to help businesses start, grow and relocate in Montgomery County by helping them gain access to top talent, business and market intelligence and prime locations.

New protocols for MCEDC’s public meetings include:

• Eliminating the need to pre-register for open meetings to receive the meeting link.
• Posting the virtual meeting link and agenda on the MCEDC website before a public meeting.
• Making live streaming of open meetings readily available to the public.
• Continuing to post minutes of open meetings to the MCEDC website.

“We commend the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s leadership for taking critical steps to improve public access to their taxpayer supported work,” said Joanne Antoine, Executive Director of Common Cause Maryland. “Streaming and archiving meetings will provide greater access and understanding of the critical decisions being made to support economic activity in Montgomery County. We applaud this collaborative approach by Councilmember Glass and MCEDC, and will continue advocating for more open and transparent policies across governmental and quasi-governmental agencies.”

“While MCEDC is consistently in full compliance with all open meeting requirements, we appreciated our dialogue with Councilmember Glass to further the goals of greater public access and transparency,” said Benjamin H. Wu, MCEDC President and CEO.

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