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Martin O'Malley

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This article is about the Governor of Maryland. For the journalist, see Martin O'Malley (journalist).
Martin O'Malley
O'Malley visiting the Maryland National Guard, June 2008
61st Governor of Maryland
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 17, 2007
LieutenantAnthony Brown
Preceded byRobert Ehrlich
47th Mayor of Baltimore
In office
December 7, 1999 – January 17, 2007
Preceded byKurt Schmoke
Succeeded bySheila Dixon
Personal details
Born (1963-01-18) January 18, 1963 (age 61)
Washington, D.C., United States
Political partyDemocratic Party
SpouseCatherine Curran
Children2 daughters and 2 sons
ResidenceGovernment House
Alma materCatholic University of America
University of Maryland, Baltimore
ProfessionLawyer
Signature

Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association

Early life, education and career

O'Malley grew up in the wealthy Washington, D.C. suburb of Potomac, Maryland, the child of an attorney. O'Malley attended the private and exclusive Our Lady of Lourdes School in Bethesda[1] and Gonzaga College High School, the same school of such political notables as Patrick Buchanan. He went to college at The Catholic University of America, graduating in 1985. Later that year he enrolled at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, earning his J.D. in 1988 and passing the bar that same year.[2]

Early political career

In December 1982, while still in college, O'Malley signed on with the Gary Hart presidential campaign for the 1984 election. In late 1983, he volunteered to go to Iowa. He phone-banked, organized volunteers, and played guitar and sang[3] at small fundraisers and other events.

In 1986, while in law school, O'Malley was named by then-Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski as her state field director for her successful primary and general election campaigns for the U.S. Senate. Later he served as a legislative fellow in Senator Mikulski's office from 1987-1988.

In 1988, he began dating his future wife, Catherine Curran, the daughter of the State's Attorney General. Later that year, O’Malley was hired as an Assistant State's Attorney for the City of Baltimore. He would hold that position until 1990.

In 1990, O'Malley, ran for the Maryland State Senate in District 43. He lost the Democratic Primary to John A. Pica Jr. by 44 votes.[4] A year later he ran for a vacant Baltimore City Council seat to represent the 3rd District. He served from 1991 to 1999. As Councilman, he served as Chairman of the Legislative Investigations Committee and Chairman of the Taxation and Finance Committee.

Mayor of Baltimore

O'Malley announced his campaign for Mayor of Baltimore in 1999. He won the Democratic Primary with over 50% of the vote. He was then elected Mayor of Baltimore in the General election with over 90% of the vote in what was seen as a heavily Democratic city.[5] In 2004, O'Malley was re-elected in the general election with 88% of the vote.

In O'Malley's first year in office, he adopted a statistics-based tracking system modeled after Compstat, a crime management program first employed in the mid-1990s by William J. Bratton and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to assist the New York City Police Department. The program aimed to initiate a performance-based system using computerized databases to track targets and results.[6] There is a weekly meeting in which city department managers meet with the Mayor's office and discuss their office's results. According to the office of then Mayor O'Malley, CitiStat has saved Baltimore residents more than $350 million. In 2004, O'Malley's CitiStat accountability tool won Harvard University's Innovations in American Government award.[7] Its success has garnered the attention of delegations from places like England, India, Texas, and others.[8]

Stained Glass window of Mayor Martin O'Malley.

During the first Mayoral campaign, O’Malley's made improving public safety a priority. In 2005, Baltimore was ranked the sixth most dangerous city in the United States; in 2006, it was ranked the twelfth most dangerous city.[9]

In 2005, Baltimore's reported homicide rate was five times that of New York City, which had one of the lowest crime rates of America's largest cities.[10] According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Unified Crime Reports for 2000 and 2003, violent crimes (homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) in Baltimore declined from 16,003 in 2000 (O'Malley's first year in office) to 13,789 in 2003. In terms of homicides, there were 261 in 2000; 256 in 2001; 253 in 2002; and 270 in 2003.[11] More recently, there were 276 homicides in 2004 and 269 in 2005.

The latest police statistics for 2008, according to the Baltimore Sun, show that "shootings are down by 26 percent over last year, from 361 to 266... Meanwhile, rates of other violent crimes, including assaults, rapes and robberies, has not changed much since 2007..."[12]

Controversy

The Washington Post wrote that "[t]o date, no evidence has surfaced of a systemic manipulation of crime statistics" by the government under O'Malley.[13]

O'Malley stated that his administration had greatly improved the Baltimore City Public School System, and that they "are on the mend for the first time in decades." As one of his five most prominent achievements, O'Malley says that his administration "improved student test scores across the board" while noting that much work remains.[citation needed] A national study on the graduation rates in the nation's 50 biggest cities found Baltimore to be second to last with respect to dropout rates (with Detroit in last place).[14] As the city school system is independently controlled by a board jointly appointed by the mayor and the governor of Maryland, some argue that it is difficult to hold specific elected officials responsible for either the successes or failures of the city school system.[15]

Major land developer Edward St. John was fined $55,000 by the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor for making illegal contributions to the O'Malley campaign. The Washington Times reported later that the Governor's administration had issued a press release touting a new $28 million highway interchange leading to one of St. John's properties. Governor O'Malley's spokesman said there was no "quid pro quo" and a spokesman for the County Executive noted that the project had been a county transportation priority since before both O'Malley and the Executive were elected.[16]

The "MD4Bush" incident

In early 2005 Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich fired an aide, Joseph Steffen, for spreading rumors of marital infidelity about O'Malley on the Internet. O'Malley and his wife had previously held a highly publicized press conference to deny the rumors and controversially accuse Republicans of partisan politics. The discussions in which Steffen posted the rumors were initiated by an anonymous user going by the name "MD4Bush", later revealed to be Maryland Democratic Party official Ryan O'Doherty.[17]

Media attention

In 2002, Esquire magazine named O’Malley "The Best Young Mayor in the Country," and in 2005, TIME magazine named him one of America's "Top 5 Big City Mayors".[18] In August 2005, Business Week Magazine Online named O'Malley as one of five "New Faces" in the Democratic Party. Business Week said that O'Malley "has become the Party's go-to guy on protecting the homeland. The telegenic mayor has developed a detailed plan for rail and port safety and has been an outspoken critic of White House security priorities."[19]

Homeland security

In 2003, national Democratic leaders asked him to give the Democratic Response to the President's weekly radio address in which he spoke about Homeland Security.

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry invited O'Malley to speak on the topic in Wisconsin. In 2004, O'Malley was one of the featured speakers at the Democratic National Convention in the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. In his speech, he focused on Homeland Security stating "Sadly and unforgivably almost three years after that fateful day when thousands of moms and dads, sons and daughters didn’t come home from work on September 11, America's cities and towns, America's ports and borders and America's heartland remain needlessly vulnerable".

Governor of Maryland

2006 gubernatorial elections

Main article: Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006

O'Malley was nominated by the Democratic Party to challenge incumbent Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich in the November 2006 election. O'Malley featured the news article "Running early, running hard" [20] on his new web site, launched June 2005. It stated, "O'Malley has yet to officially announce his run for governor, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy on the campaign trail."

O'Malley selected Anthony G. Brown, Delegate from Prince George's County, lawyer, and Iraq War veteran, as his running mate. O'Malley was expected to face Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan in the Democratic primary. Duncan dropped out of the race on June 22, 2006.

In 2004, friends of O'Malley speculated that he might be a presidential candidate in 2012.[21]

O'Malley defeated incumbent Gov. Ehrlich in the November 7, 2006, gubernatorial election by a 6.5% margin.[22]

Term as Governor

Martin O'Malley's inauguration

O'Malley was sworn in as Governor on January 17, 2007. Soon after coming to office, O'Malley closed the Maryland House of Correction in Jessup, Maryland, a notoriously violent maximum-security prison facility.[23]

As fill-in for Hillary Rodham Clinton during a Democratic convention on June 2, 2007 in New Hampshire, O'Malley expanded "his exposure among the party elite and activists."[24]

Governor O'Malley called a Special Session in November, 2007 to close a structural budget deficit of $1.7 billion.[25] A structural deficit differs from an actual deficit in that it is based on out-year projected data. In response to this projected deficit for 2008–2009, O'Malley and some Democratic Maryland lawmakers passed and signed the largest tax increases in Maryland history. The plan would raise total state tax collections 14%.[26] A Maryland Senate panel modified the tax proposal, removing "tax breaks for middle- and working-class families."[27][28]

In years past, slot machine gambling has been a heated topic in both houses of the General Assembly. Proponents claim slots could help ease the burden of Maryland's structural deficit. O'Malley's predecessor, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. made slot machine gambling a priority from the beginning of his four-year term. However, associated legislation was not passed. O'Malley has said that he supports the implementation of a limited number of slot machines only at horse racing tracks to help sustain the horse racing industry. In November 2008, voters state-wide approved the introduction of slots in Maryland.

In April 2009, O'Malley signed a traffic speed camera enforcement law (Senate Bill 277), a bill which he supported and fought for in order to help raise revenue to try to balance the record deficit facing Maryland. Through strong lobbying by O'Malley, the bill was revived after first having been defeated. After a second vote, the measure barely passed by a few votes. The bill continues to face harsh bi-partisan criticism and has been called a tax on drivers by opponents of the bill. The bill has also sparked a ballot referendum effort sponsored by the not-for-profit group Maryland For Responsible Enforcement.[citation needed]

In September 2009, O'Malley and Elijah Cummings announced the 'Healthy Smiles' dental tour “Together, we have resolved to do everything within our power to prevent avoidable tragedies like the loss of Deamonte Driver, who passed away when an untreated toothache last year,” said Governor O’Malley. “That’s why today, we’re announcing the kick off of the ‘Healthy Smiles’ dental tour to promote awareness and highlight the importance of children’s dental health. With partners like the Deamonte Driver Dental Project and Kool Smiles, we can make oral health services available to Medicaid-eligible and uninsured children in Prince George’s County and throughout the region; and reach out to kids just like Deamonte, ensuring that they will not be turned away from routine but potentially life-saving care.”

In response to the untimely death of Deamonte Driver in February 2007,[29] Governor O’Malley, Secretary Colmers and the General Assembly convened a Dental Action Committee in June 2007 to provide recommendations for Maryland to improve its oral health services. Based upon the Committee’s recommendations, Governor O’Malley put $14 million in the FY09 budget, in state and federal funds, to raise reimbursement rates for dentists treating Medicaid children. The funds target all preventative care and most diagnostic care rates. In addition, Governor O’Malley placed $2 million in his FY09 budget to the Office of Oral Health to initiate and expand dental services in underserved areas in the State.[30][31][32]

O'Malley was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association for 2009–2010 while Delaware Governor Jack Markell was chair, and on December 1, 2010, he was elected Chairman for 2010-2011.[33]

Since taking office O'Malley has adapted the CitiStat program he devised for Baltimore and applied it to the state of Maryland. This new program is called StateStat. O'Malley has said that President Obama has looked at StateStat as a potential model for tracking stimulus funding.[34][35]

2010 re-election campaign

On November 2, 2010, O'Malley defeated Ehrlich in an electoral rematch to win a second term. Despite major losses for Democrats nationwide, O'Malley defeated Ehrlich by a 14-point margin, more than doubling his 2006 margin of victory.


Personal life

O'Malley is the son of Tom and Barbara O'Malley. The late Tom O'Malley served as a Montgomery County based criminal defense lawyer, and an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia from 1957 to 1962, among many other positions. The elder O'Malley, a bombardier in the Army Air Forces in the Pacific theater during the Second World War, claimed to have seen the nuclear mushroom cloud rise over Hiroshima.[36]

Martin O'Malley is married to state district judge Catherine Curran O'Malley (Katie). Martin and Katie first met in 1986 while he was working on Barbara Mikulski's primary and general election campaign for U.S. Senator from Maryland; while Katie was working on her father J. Joseph Curran, Jr.'s campaign for Attorney General of Maryland. They began to date in 1988 and were married in 1990 during his first campaign for political office.

They now live in the governor's mansion in Annapolis with their four children, Grace, Tara, Will and Jack. The O'Malleys' two daughters, Grace and Tara, currently attend college. On May 27, 2010, 18-year-old Tara O'Malley was found unconscious at about 7:30PM EST at Inner Harbor and was taken to Harbor Hospital via ambulance. The cause of her unconsciousness was reported as being due to alcohol poisoning.[37]

O'Malley's father-in-law, J. Joseph Curran, Jr., served as Attorney General of Maryland from 1987-2007. Citing his age and his long career, Curran decided not to seek reelection on May 7, 2006, preventing any conflict of interest that might arise in having two close family members at the position of Governor and Attorney General.[38]

In other media

According to David Simon, the creator of the HBO drama The Wire, the fictional Mayor of Baltimore Tommy Carcetti is "not O'Malley", but O'Malley was one of several inspirations.[39]

O'Malley appeared in the film Ladder 49 as himself, then-mayor of Baltimore.

The History Channel's documentary First Invasion: The War of 1812 featured O'Malley in a segment regarding the British attack on Baltimore in 1814.

O'Malley is a musician. He was active in several bands and solo in the DC and Baltimore areas starting in the early 1980s. He was the vocalist/guitarist/songwriter of Celtic rock band, "O'Malley's March" from 1988 to 2005.[40]

Electoral history

Maryland Gubernatorial Election 2006[41]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Martin O'Malley 942,279 52.7 +6.5
Republican Robert Ehrlich (incumbent) 825,464 46.2 −6.5
Maryland Gubernatorial Election 2010[42]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Martin O'Malley (incumbent) 1,044,961 56.2 +14.4
Republican Robert Ehrlich 776,319 41.8 −14.4

See also

References

  1. ^ Silverman, David J. (October 31, 2006). "For O'Malley, Jesuit Tradition of 'Man for Others' Guides Political Values". Capital News Service. Southern Maryland Online. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  2. ^ "Martin J. O'Malley". www.msa.md.gov. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  3. ^ "The Original Shannon Tide". O'Malley's March. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  4. ^ "State Senator District 43 Democratic Candidates". 1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results. Maryland State Board of Elections. 2001-06-14. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  5. ^ "Baltimore City Election Result Summary". Maryland State Board of Elections. 2003-11-19. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  6. ^ "Feature: Restless for Results". Governing Magazine. April 2001. URL retrieved 20 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Government Innovators Network: CitiStat". John F. Kennedy School of Government. 2004. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  8. ^ Wagner, John; Mosk, Matthew (2005-04-24). "O'Malley Rides Wave of Good Polls and Press". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  9. ^ "DC Ranks High On Most Dangerous City List". W*USA 9. October 30, 2006. URL retrieved March 23, 2007.
  10. ^ "San Jose Remains 'Safest Big City in America'". City of San Jose, California. November 21, 2005. URL retrieved March 23, 2007.
  11. ^ "O'Reilly Factor guest claimed violent crime rising under Baltimore Mayor O'Malley; FBI numbers show otherwise". Media Matters for America. 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  12. ^ Linskey, Annie (2008-06-29). "Killing pace slows in city". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2008-06-29. [dead link‍]
  13. ^ Wagner, John. "O'Malley Finds Issue Can Cut Both Ways". The Washington Post. March 3, 2006. Page B05. URL retrieved March 23, 2007.
  14. ^ Toppo, Greg (2006-06-20). "Big-city schools struggle with graduation rates". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  15. ^ Microsoft Word - 2003 Final Rules - Part 1.doc
  16. ^ Washington Times - O'Malley donor gains highway access
  17. ^ O'Malley rumor controversy - baltimoresun.com
  18. ^ Wonk 'n' Roller - TIME
  19. ^ Can The Democrats Seize The Day?
  20. ^ Gazette.net
  21. ^ O'Malley's aspirations take flight in Boston
  22. ^ Maryland State Board of Elections
  23. ^ "O'Malley relieved prison is closed". The Herald-Mail Company. 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  24. ^ Wagner, John (2007-06-03). "As Fill-In, O'Malley Expands Exposure". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  25. ^ Wagner, John (2007-10-29). "Session Has High Stakes for O'Malley". The Washington Post.
  26. ^ Dubay, Curtis S. (2007-10-26). "Governor O'Malley's Tax Plan Puts Maryland at Risk in Regional Tax Competition". Fiscal Facts. The Tax Foundation. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  27. ^ Green, Andrew A (2007-11-08). "O'Malley wants to revive tax cuts". Local Politics. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2007-11-10. [dead link‍]
  28. ^ Farrell, Liam (2007-11-07). "Senate panel dramatically revises O'Malley plan". HometownAnnapolis. Capital Gazette Newspapers. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  29. ^ Otto, Mary (2007-02-28). "For Want of a Dentist". The Washington Post.
  30. ^ http://www.governor.maryland.gov/pressreleases/090908.asp
  31. ^ http://mykoolsmiles.com/media/news
  32. ^ http://www.gazette.net/stories/09102009/uppenew183552_32547.shtml
  33. ^ Wagner, John (December 2, 2010). "O'Malley to chair party's governors group". p. B1.
  34. ^ Vander Veen, Chad (2009). "Gov. Martin O'Malley Uses StateStat to Transform Maryland". govtech.com. Government Technology Magazine. Retrieved 2009-08-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) [dead link‍]
  35. ^ Vander Veen, Chad (2009). "Citizen CEO: Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland discusses StateStat GIS for accountability and transparency". govtech.com. Government Technology Magazine. Retrieved 2009-08-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  36. ^ "Thomas O'Malley; Rockville Lawyer". Obituaries. The Washington Post. 2006-01-06. p. B07. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  37. ^ "Police. Md. gov's daughter had alcohol poisoning". White, Brian. Associated Press. 2010-06-05. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  38. ^ Vogel, Steve (2006-05-09). "Rally With a Retirement Twist". The Washington Post. p. B02. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  39. ^ "Five Minutes With: David Simon". campusprogress.org. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  40. ^ "Martin O'Malley's profile on O'Malley's March's official website". omalleysmarch.com. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  41. ^ http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/general/office_Governor__Lt_Governor.html
  42. ^ http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2010/results/General/StateResults_office_003.html
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martin O'Malley.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Baltimore
1999–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Maryland
2007–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Maryland
2006 		Most recent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Vice President Order of Precedence of the United States
Within Maryland 		Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Preceded byas Governor of Massachusetts Order of Precedence of the United States
Outside Maryland 		Succeeded byas Governor of South Carolina

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