‘We can all stand to improve” Maryland’s business climate: Anthony Brown

Six of seven candidates vying for the Maryland governorship in 2014 spent 15 minutes each explaining to business and tech leaders why they deserve the votes of the state’s business community.
It was the Gubernatorial Candidates Forum put on by the Tech Council of Maryland. (Only Republican candidate Larry Hogan did not attend the April 21 event.) Each question-and-answer period was moderated by Dan Beyers, editor of the Washington Post‘s “Capital Business” weekly newspaper, and questions were largely about supporting business and emerging companies in the state.
The Tech Council waived the $90 attendance fee for Technical.ly Baltimore to attend the two-hour forum in Bethesda, Md. We’ll post the main talking points of each candidate, in the order they spoke during the forum, as they relate to their thoughts on the innovation and technology economy in Maryland. (Questions/heckling invited in the comments below.)
First up: Anthony Brown.

• The basics: Democrat and current lieutenant governor who was in charge of the botched rollout of Maryland Health Connection, the state’s online marketplace for purchasing health insurance via implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
• His one-liner: “We can all stand to improve it.” (It referring to the state’s business climate.)
• Three points:
  • Brown said a “re-invention of government” is needed when it comes to regulations and licensing so bureaucracy is more responsive to private businesses.
  • He pointed to pro-business legislative efforts instituted during Martin O’Malley’s administration — especially the tax credits created for the biotech and cybersecurity industries — as policies that ought to be continued.
  • Brown said he is not in favor of lowering the state’s corporate income tax to 6 percent from 8.25 percent.