Duncan drops out

Montgomery County Executive takes 10 minutes to end decades of public service

Friday, June 23, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Laurie DeWitt⁄The Gazette Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger (center) and others applauded Duncan for a full 60 seconds as he took the podium.

Council members Howard A. Denis (R-Dist. 1) of Chevy Chase and Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park were jammed against other people in the front of the room. Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown squeezed his way past people into the room.

The din of the crowd quieted suddenly when Chief Administrative Officer Bruce F. Romer stepped up to the podium and announced Duncan would be making a brief statement and would not be taking questions.

The room remained silent for a minute with none of the usual murmurs before a news conference until a smiling Duncan appeared in the doorway and strode to the podium with a wave. Then the people rose, clapping loudly, as he entered followed by his wife, Barbara, son John, and running mate Stuart O. Simms.

After a few seconds, Duncan motioned for people to sit. They continued clapping.

‘‘OK, OK, OK,” he said, his smile growing broader and his face reddening. The applause continued for several more moments until he repeated, ‘‘Good afternoon.”

Duncan appeared touched by the warm reception and thanked the crowd.

He spoke rapidly of his family’s history with depression and his own recent realization that he, too, has it and that his recent health problems went beyond the ‘‘usual wear and tear of the campaign trail.”

‘‘I will not be a candidate on the ballot for any office this year,” he said.

Duncan said he called his Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, and offered his support. He added that he would work across Maryland to help elect Democrats, but his first step is to take time off to get well.

‘‘Now it’s time for me to focus on my health,” he said, his wife and Simms nodding.

Duncan said he will finish out his term as county executive, which ends in December.

With the 10-minute announcement finished, he left the room to more applause.

Reaction

Had Duncan stepped down from his county job, Romer would have stepped in. The county charter allows for the CAO or a designee to take over running the county in the event of a temporary absence or disability of the County Executive.

Romer said later that there was never any consideration of him stepping in because Duncan always intended to complete his term.

‘‘Nothing changes in county government. [Duncan] is still county executive,” he said.

Council President George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park choked up as he was asked about Duncan’s decision.

Leventhal said he had no concerns about Duncan being unable to finish out his term.

‘‘Doug is the best executive in Montgomery County’s history,” he said. ‘‘He was the best man running for governor.”

Duncan’s decision occurred when the campaign appeared to be on the upswing, Leventhal said.

‘‘I was flabbergasted,” he said.

However, Duncan’s longtime spokesman, David S. Weaver, said that as the campaign wore on, Duncan’s depression became more apparent to those close to him.

After a meeting of county department heads three or four weeks ago, several people told Weaver that the county executive did not seem like himself, Weaver said.

Even before that, he said, Duncan himself had said he did not feel like himself.

Last week, Duncan would spend half of his days either in his campaign office in Silver Spring or at his home in Rockville. He would not make the fund-raising calls that needed to be made daily, or agree to go out campaigning, Weaver said. The only time Duncan felt comfortable was behind the podium, speaking to crowds instead of individuals.

Weaver and Duncan’s campaign director, Scott Arceneaux, said they could not point to any single event that triggered the depression. Duncan appeared to be narrowing the gap with O’Malley from a 22-point deficit last year to single digits in more recent polls. The campaign was going to take its next poll on July 4.

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

‘‘This happened at a time when things were going his way,” Weaver said.

‘‘Looking back in hindsight, you can see the classic signs,” Arceneaux said. ‘‘This has been an incredibly stressful year. We’ve been keeping him going 24⁄7 now since before Christmas.”

Arceneaux said he began to realize last week that ‘‘we were kind of battling something.”

‘‘It was getting harder for him to do the day-to-day things,” he said. ‘‘The funny thing is we were having a lot of success.”

However, the successes increased the pressure as it became clear he had a possibility of winning the nomination, Arceneaux said.

On Monday, Duncan saw a doctor, was diagnosed with severe depression and given medication, Arceneaux said.

Duncan met with his family, his top campaign officials and political consultants before making his decision to drop out.

The news still caught many by surprise. On Wednesday, Duncan was endorsed by the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, but he failed to appear at a chamber dinner that night. The chamber’s president, Richard N. Parsons, told dinner guests that Duncan was ‘‘under the weather.”

‘‘It’s a big missed opportunity for Montgomery County to have such a qualified and talented candidate like Doug drop out,” said Parsons, who ran Duncan’s 1998 campaign for county executive. ‘‘He’s leaving an enduring legacy of getting things done.”

Staff Writers Janel Davis, Kevin J. Shay and Robert Rand contributed to this report.