A legacy built on a ‘can-do’ attitude

Executive raised county’s profile, stoked its jobs engine, observers say

Friday, June 23, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Gazette file photo Here with Martin O'Malley in 2001, Duncan points out the changing skyline of a revitalized downtown Silver Spring. ‘‘Imagine Silver Spring without Doug Duncan,” said County Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park.

Duncan’s political career, which began as a 20-something campaigning for the Rockville City Council and spanned 12 years as county executive, has sown seeds of development and growth in jobs, transportation and education that are seen throughout Montgomery County.

‘‘He’s a doer,” said Montgomery County Councilman Howard A. Denis (R-Dist. 1) of Chevy Chase. ‘‘Silver Spring, Rockville, the Woodmont Triangle, the ICC — from one end of the county to the other. Strathmore, the conference center. He picked Montgomery County up when we needed it.”

Elected officials past and present said they were shocked by the news of Duncan stepping out of the governor’s race. Many damp eyes were seen as Duncan read a formal statement in Rockville saying he had recently been diagnosed with clinical depression.

‘‘I think Doug Duncan helped put Montgomery County on the map,” said County Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown. ‘‘I was excited about the Duncan campaign because he was able to show the rest of the state how Montgomery County’s problems were everyone’s problems. I think the burden is on us to continue to work with other jurisdictions.”

‘‘As a spokesperson and political shaker and mover, he made Montgomery County a force to be reckoned with in state politics,” said former County Councilwoman Gail H. Ewing of Rockville. ‘‘Which had never been true.”

It was this attention to statewide issues that led to many of Duncan’s successes in the county, said former county councilman Isiah ‘‘Ike” Leggett (D), who is running for county executive.

‘‘He recognized early in the process that the county needed to pay more attention in Annapolis and he was more visible there,” Leggett said. ‘‘He brought a ‘can-do’ attitude to Montgomery County that we really needed.”

Our opinion Mr. Duncan’s bravery Gazette editorial Barry Rascovar Duncan makes the ‘right move’ Blair Lee Maryland politics after Duncan Related coverage * Duncan drops out * Between applause and smiles, a politician bows * Colleagues, constituents, neighbors saddened by Duncan’s withdrawal * Stresses of campaigning can bring on depression for some * Reaction to Duncan's withdrawal * Transcript of Duncan's statement Multimedia Photo gallery: Doug Duncan in pictures Graphic: Timeline of a political career

Duncan will leave ‘‘an incredible legacy in Montgomery County,” said county school board member Stephen N. Abrams, who served on the Rockville City Council during Duncan’s first two years as mayor.

‘‘Clearly, the can-do attitude in Montgomery County was absolutely needed at the time to get us out of a malaise that existed prior to ’94,” Abrams said.

Duncan said repeatedly that education was the top priority for his campaign.

Schools spending increased by more than 90 percent and accounted for half of the county budget during Duncan’s 12-year tenure.

‘‘He had the good sense of following those of us getting behind [county schools Superintendent] Jerry Weast,” said Abrams (Dist. 2) of Rockville. ‘‘He’s been a very, very strong supporter of ours, both in lobbying for state resources, but more importantly, making sure county resources were available as well.”

Duncan also pursued construction projects such as the Music Center at Strathmore and the county conference center in North Bethesda that were ‘‘dreams in people’s eyes before that never would’ve come about,” said Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville. ‘‘The partnerships he created with the community and business are magnificent.”

Duncan’s tenure as a Rockville city councilman and later as mayor, during which the city abandoned the failed Rockville Mall, paved the way for the town center project that is rising there today, said Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen.

It also served as precursor to development projects he pursued as county executive, she said.

‘‘Imagine Silver Spring without Doug Duncan,” said Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park. ‘‘Imagine education without his support for funding. He was the one who brought on a council that addressed transportation issues.”

Abrams called Duncan ‘‘the only Democrat who has been a very consistent strong supporter” of the Intercounty Connector, the $2.4 billion, 18-mile east-west connector highway that will break ground in the fall, Abrams said.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce credits Duncan with creating 93,000 jobs since he took office. Many of those came from the expansion of the I-270 biotechnology corridor.

‘‘He supported research and development, which is the lifeblood of Montgomery County,” said William E. Hanna Jr., a former county councilman, who is credited with bringing the life sciences center to the Traville neighborhood of Rockville, where he served as mayor. ‘‘Montgomery County doesn’t have any gold or coal mines. We had to find where we were going to get our revenue. He was smart enough to follow what some of us started.”

But not everyone has been impressed with Duncan’s legacy. ‘‘Neighbors is still very concerned with the ‘pay and go’ legacy that existed under the Duncan administration,” said Drew Powell, executive director of the Neighbors PAC, a nonpartisan group that has criticized Duncan as too close to developers. ‘‘Duncan’s legacy is one that I hope the county can recover from.”

But most county officials said Duncan’s political days are far from over.

‘‘I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Doug Duncan,” said County Councilman Michael L. Subin (D-At large) of Gaithersburg.

Staff Writer Warren Parish contributed to this report.