What could be the most crucial appointment for Gov. Parris N. Glendening remains in limbo. And yet it is imperative that the governor come to a conclusion soon as to who will be Maryland's first secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development.
The plan of the new governor is for a streamlined agency to focus exclusively on retaining existing Maryland businesses and getting more companies to locate in this state. This smaller department will have a strong private-sector component -- the equivalent of a board of directors -- with the power to set policy objectives and map out a strategic plan. The key player, though, will be the new cabinet secretary responsible for energizing Maryland's search for jobs.
In the past, Maryland's economic development efforts have been erratic -- substantial gains followed by significant reverses. Consistency has been lacking. So has aggressiveness. As one corporate leader put it, Maryland has been too gentlemanly in going after businesses.
The state's next economic development chief must put an emphasis on marketing Maryland's many advantages, especially the strong suits of the state's various regions. He must also be a cheerleader and bridge-builder, someone who can finally bring the Washington Board of Trade, the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce into alignment in boosting this state's development efforts -- and ending this state's destructive regional parochialism.
At the same time, the new secretary has to form a high-level rapid-response team to deal with immediate problems facing Maryland companies. Such a team could assist a firm like Alex. Brown & Sons in finding a new site that keeps it in downtown Baltimore or come up with an imaginative package that keeps McCormick & Co. from eyeing a plant site in Pennsylvania.
As if this were not enough, the economic development secretary will be a key participant within state government on deciding how to stimulate growth by cutting corporate taxes and how to drastically reduce Maryland's oppressive, time-consuming tangle of business regulations.
It's a big job, but the governor cannot delay much longer in filling the post. County executives already are complaining that lucrative business deals could be lost without a state economic development secretary to put all the pieces together. Mr. Glendening highlighted his personal commitment to business development in his State of the State address. He outlined an ambitious set of plans. Now he must pick someone to implement these initiatives.