Mayoral candidates to discuss D.C. IT growth

The Washington DC Technology Council will host a live forum on “The Business of Technology in the District of Columbia,” featuring the leading D.C. mayoral candidates June 27 at 8:30 a.m. at George Washington University’s Jack Morton Auditorium.

CNBC’s Hampton Pearson will moderate the forum, which will be in a question-and-answer format and cover topics such as taxation policies for seed and early-stage information technology companies, incentives to attract and retain Washington, D.C.-based firms, and plans for training a technology-savvy workforce.

“We believe it is critical for the next mayor to help attract and retain technology companies and appreciate the economic value they bring to the region,” said Michael Stanton, vice president investor relations at Blackboard, a sponsor of the forum. “By providing incentives to technology corporations to operate in our community, the mayor’s office can help support the continued growth and prosperity of our technology community.”

The forum is free and open to the public, but attendees should register with the council at www.dctechcouncil.org. Registration at the forum begins at 7:30 a.m.