State of Howard County: Model for 'Innovation Economy'

County Executive Ken Ulman's State of the County address Thursday included a focus on jobs and innovation.

The county executive pointed to new efforts in county government, such as the recently created , dedicated to helping new businesses.

To thrive in commercialization—an area in which he said Maryland ranks 37th nationwide—Howard County must be a place where "the big ideas that surface are nurtured, supported and given the resources they need to become the next big thing in the marketplace," he said.

Ulman added: “Let me be clear: We don’t want just high-tech jobs or low-tech jobs. We want jobs. Period.”

Despite the fact that in the state, Ulman emphasized that the county could always do better: "Too many strong communities have fallen prey to complacency....We must seize this moment and remake our region as the model for the 21st century's 'innovation economy.'"

He also addressed county schools, emergency response, and more. Read the full text of his speech here. 

Noteworthy figures from the county executive's speech:

• Ulman's number one priority is "keeping the public safe."
• The state of Maryland has reduced its funding of Howard County's core services—including public health, transportation and safety—by 87 percent in the last five years.
• In Howard County, $0.64 of every dollar goes to education.

To see what people were saying during the State of the County address,  on Patch's live blog.