In an 8-1 vote, the Montgomery County Council overrode County Executive Marc Elrich’s veto of a bill that creates a downtown business improvement district, or BID, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Council member Will Jawando was the one “no” vote, saying the structure of the BID did not have the support of a diverse group of small business owners in Silver Spring.
A number of groups, including the Montgomery County Black Collective, the Montgomery County Black Business Council and the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce, wrote to the council to express concerns about representation of Black-owned businesses on the board.
Under the legislation, the board of directors of the BID would include three representatives of business owners who have properties assessed at $20 million or more. Two members would represent businesses with properties assessed at less than $20 million; one member would represent a business employing more than 50 full-time workers; and three members would represent businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Kate Ryan over at WTOP
