P.J. Hogan resigns his Senate seat

District 39 leader takes a job as the top lobbyist for the University System of Maryland; politicians line up to succeed him in Annapolis

‘‘It’s a great opportunity. I’m just really excited about it,” Hogan (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village said Monday. ‘‘I have spent 13 years in the Senate and I’ve come to really focus on higher education, so this is just a perfect fit.”

Hogan will be paid $175,000 a year and take the job held by Joseph C. Bryce, who left earlier this year to become Gov. Martin O’Malley’s chief legislative officer. Hogan will officially resign his Senate seat on Aug. 10.

Elected to a fourth term in November, Hogan is the vice chairman of the powerful Budget and Taxation Committee and has been one of the legislature’s strongest advocates for higher education, chairing a commission informally bearing his name that is exploring access and affordability of a college degree.

In his new job, Hogan will be the chief policy adviser and governmental strategist to the Board of Regents and William E. ‘‘Brit” Kirwan, chancellor of the 126,000-student university system. Hogan will be the system’s liaison in Annapolis and Washington.

‘‘It will give me a chance to represent the university system not only at the state level, but to try to establish a stronger presence of the USM on Capitol Hill,” Hogan said.

Before his election to the Senate in 1994, Hogan spent four years as a legislative assistant to Republican congresswoman Constance A. Morella of Bethesda.

District 39 is a curl of Montgomery County that includes 110,000 residents of North Potomac, Darnestown, parts of Germantown and Montgomery Village, unincorporated Gaithersburg and Washington Grove.

The Democrats who represent District 39 in the House of Delegates — veterans Charles E. Barkley and Nancy J. King and freshman Saqib Ali — are interested in Hogan’s Senate seat.

King of Montgomery Village said Monday that she and Barkley have met with Senate leadership recently to discuss a suitable successor.

‘‘I think it really boils down to Charlie Barkley and me,” King said, adding that she hopes the three delegates can come to an agreement on Hogan’s successor.

Barkley of Germantown said either he or King could do a good job. But he said he is ready for the upper chamber.

‘‘I’ve been in the House for nine years,” he said. ‘‘I’ve served on two committees, I’ve chaired the county [House] delegation, I’ve chaired a subcommittee on Appropriations. I think it might be the next step in my career.”

Barkley said Ali, a Gaithersburg resident who completed his first legislative session in April, should gain more experience before seeking an appointment to the Senate.

But Ali said he is leaning toward seeking the position.

‘‘It’s a great opportunity for Montgomery County to send a progressive to the state Senate, someone who will represent all our diverse communities with energy and enthusiasm,” he said.

Hogan said he would not endorse a successor. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said he has spoken with King and Barkley, but not Ali, about the vacant Senate seat.

Former delegate Gene W. Counihan has also expressed interest in the vacancy.

In 1994, when Hogan was a Republican, he defeated Counihan, a Democrat, for the Senate seat. Hogan switched parties in 2000.

‘‘It’s a rare opportunity for me to revisit that desire that I had then to serve in the Senate,” Counihan said Tuesday. ‘‘I think I was a strong candidate then and I believe that with the experiences I have had since then, I’m a stronger and more qualified candidate now.”

Counihan, who lives in Montgomery Village, retired in December after 13 years as the Maryland lobbyist for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority. The former schools administrator also sits on the Montgomery College Board of Trustees.

Once Hogan resigns, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee will seek applications for the vacancy before forwarding a name within 30 days to O’Malley (D), who then has 15 days to approve or reject the nomination. The committee will pick a nominee by a majority vote of its 23 members on Aug. 14.

If one of the district’s delegates is chosen for the seat, the committee will then seek names to fill that vacancy.

From a legislative standpoint, Hogan’s departure is a big loss for Montgomery, especially as the state grapples with a projected $1.5 billion deficit, King said. ‘‘P.J. knows that budget inside and out, probably better than most people in the legislature.”

Miller said Tuesday that he might not wait to see who is chosen to succeed Hogan before selecting a new vice chairman of the Senate budget committee. Two Montgomery senators — Democrats Rona E. Kramer (D-Dist. 14) of Olney and Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington — also serve on the panel.

‘‘The vice chairman will come from within the committee at this point,” said Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach, adding that there are ‘‘a lot of factors, including seniority that factor into a vice chairmanship.”

Hogan also serves as chairman of the county’s Senate delegation. The county’s senators will choose a new leader.