Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Edgerley Resigns at DBED

The Baltimore Business Journal is reporting that David Edgerley, Maryland's Secretary of the Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED), is resigning.

This story does not have as many political implications as David Weaver's resignation, but you do have to feel for Edgerley. Consider the following three events that were not his fault:

1. The colossal anti-union website scandal that started under his predecessors and revealed the fault lines between labor and the O'Malley administration.

2. The slide in the state's business tax climate from 24th to 45th in one year when no other state dropped more than three places.

3. The fact that DBED will now have to take budget cuts and furloughs like every other department in state government.

Given the above (especially item two), selling the state to business might be just as appealing as trying to sell saltwater to fishermen!