Montgomery County Council highlights for Tuesday, Jan. 24

For Immediate Release: Monday, January 23, 2017

Montgomery County Council to interview

new director of Liquor Control

Also on Tuesday, Jan. 24: Public Hearing

on proposed Microlending Program

 

ROCKVILLE, Md., January 23, 2017—The Montgomery County Council at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, will interview Robert Dorfman, who has been appointed by County Executive Ike Leggett to be the new director of the County’s Department of Liquor Control.

 

The interview will begin the Council’s regular weekly session. The interview will be held in the Third Floor Conference Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The meeting will then move to the Third Floor Hearing Room for other business, beginning at 11:15 a.m.

 

The Council’s morning session and two public hearings scheduled to run consecutively starting at 1:30 p.m. will be will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM). The channel can be viewed on Cable Channels 996 (high definition) and 6 (standard definition) on Comcast; Channels 1056 (HD) and 6 (SD) on RCN; and Channel 30 on Verizon. The sessions also will be available live via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 . The meeting will be rebroadcast starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27.

 

The County’s Department of Liquor Control is a unique operation, compared to others nationally, in which all liquor sales in Montgomery must come through the County. The operations of the department have been the subject of study by an ad hoc committee of the County Council over the past two years.

Mr. Dorfman comes from an extensive background in the private sector. His resume includes:

• President and chief operating officer for TrustHouse Services Group, the sixth largest contract services company in the U.S., with the intent of profitably positioning the company for a successful sale.
• Being the second largest franchisee in the U.S. for Five Guys Burgers and Fries, with 35 locations across three states with revenues exceeding $40 million annually.
• Rapid promotions within the Marriott International organization, eventually being named president of Host International, a world leader in airports, toll roads, sports and entertainment and other businesses. Host’s food and beverage, retail and duty-free operations around the world were responsible for revenues of $1.5 billion and had 25,000 employees.
• Being a key player in the integration of a number of Marriott's major acquisitions (including acquisition of its largest competitor) and architect of the transformation of Host International from non-branded to branded entities (introducing Cheers, Burger King, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and other major brands into airports, etc.).

One of the 1:30 p.m. public hearings will be on Bill 49-16 that would create a County microloan program.

Nationally and locally, micro businesses have been found to improve the economic well-being and self-sufficiency of individuals who often find themselves in low wage jobs, but have the creativity and desire to own and operate a wide variety of businesses. Council President Roger Berliner, along with Councilmembers Nancy Navarro and Tom Hucker, introduced the legislation on Dec. 13. Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and Craig Rice became additional co-sponsors.

The legislation calls for WorkSource Montgomery to administer a ‘culturally proficient’ program expected to have $500,000 in initial funding. Loans would be limited to no more than $15,000, with the expectation that most loans will initially be in the $500 to $5,000 range. Loans would be limited to County residents who headquarter their business in Montgomery County.

More information about the microlending program is available at http://tinyurl.com/jzrgkyz .

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Release ID: 17-018
Media Contact: Neil Greenberger 240-777-7939, Delphine Harriston 240-777-7931