By Elise Devlin
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced Friday a series of roundtable discussions centered around Baltimore County’s economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This pandemic has forced us to creatively rethink how the government can best provide services to our families and businesses,” said Olszewski. “As we plan our recovery, we must continue working together not just to rebuild our economy—but improve it. These roundtables will allow us to work in partnership as we develop our roadmap to ensure Baltimore County comes out of this crisis stronger, bolder, and better than before.”
Olszewski has formed an Economic Recovery Subcabinet to develop a holistic countywide plan that focuses on the needs of families, workers, and businesses. He said the plan should help with Baltimore County’s long-term economic recovery, including the prioritization of funding from the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARP).
The Subcabinet will be chaired by Leonard Howie, director of the Department of Economic and Workforce Development. Other members will be decision makers and subject matter experts from key county departments and offices, including Aging, Health and Human Services, Planning, Government Reform and Strategic Initiatives, and Diversity and Inclusion.
The Subcabinet will host three roundtable meetings for stakeholders to share their vision for recovery. Residents can submit their comments and suggestions to recovery@baltimorecountymd.gov.
The schedule for the Economic Recovery Roundtables is:
- Business Recovery Roundtable: 1 p.m. Wednesday.
- Individuals and Families Recovery Roundtable: 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 31.
- Workforce Recovery Roundtable: 12 p.m. Thursday, April 1.
All Economic Recovery Roundtables will be livestreamed on Baltimore County Government’s YouTube page and Facebook page and will be broadcast on BCPS-TV (Channel 73 on Comcast Xfinity and Channel 34 on Verizon FiOS 34).