Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett on Tuesday tapped Assistant Maryland Attorney General Steve Silverman — a former County Council president who ran against Leggett for county executive — to lead the county’s economic development department.
Bachelor of arts degree, American University
Law degree, George Washington School of Law
Co-chairman, Silver Spring Redevelopment Steering Committee, 1998
Chairman, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce
Montgomery County Council, 1998-2006
County council president, 2002 and 2004
Assistant attorney general, 2007-current
Silverman replaces Pradeep Ganguly, who resigned last month after a conflict-of-interest investigation.
The recession has taken a toll on Montgomery County, where unemployment has nearly doubled since December 2007.
“This is a critical time for the county,” Leggett said.
The county executive has come under fire recently for his leadership on economic development. Montgomery County had hoped to land a high-profile deal for the Hilton Hotels Corp.
headquarters and its 300 accompanying jobs, but lost out to rival Fairfax County in February. Montgomery County is home to hotel giants Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton, Choice Hotels and Host Hotels & Resorts.
The setback caused some officials to question whether the county was doing enough to attract businesses.
Last month Ganguly was placed on indefinite leave while officials investigated a $25,000 grant to a Bethesda business where Ganguly’s son is chief marketing officer.
Despite insisting he had been honest about the connection, Ganguly resigned on March 16 after 27 months at the helm.
His departure left the county “rudderless during the current economic storm,” said council members Mike Knapp, D-Germantown, George Leventhal, D-at large, Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring, and Nancy Floreen, D-at large, in a March 24 letter to Leggett.
The letter also scolded Leggett for traveling to Asia last year to court investors, urging him to keep his attention “closer to home.”
Leggett seemed to get the message Tuesday, highlighting Silverman’s familiarity with local businesses.
“He knows where we’ve been, where we are and — most importantly — where we need to go,” Leggett said.
Silverman was on the County Council from 1998 to 2006 and served as council president twice. He was chairman of the council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee.
The council has to approve his appointment.
Silverman also was head of the Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce and was the co-chairman of the Silver Spring Redevelopment Steering Committee, which helped revitalize downtown Silver Spring.
Silverman ran against Leggett for county executive in the 2006 Democratic primary.
“I think he’ll be good for the business community,” said Charles Atwell, president of Innovative Business Interiors of Silver Spring and former chairman of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.
Atwell had been critical of the county after it lost Hilton to Fairfax in February.
“I’m hopeful those kinds of things won’t happen with Steven as director,” he said.
