O’Malley names transition team

Impressive group includes Mfume, civic and business leaders from around the state; Enright named chief of staff

Friday, Nov. 17, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Laurie DeWitt⁄The Gazette Michael R. Enright, who will be Martin O’Malley’s chief of staff, speaks at a press conference Thursday. O’Malley also named his transition team Thursday, a committee that includes a high concentration of Baltimore-area leaders.

O’Malley (D) introduced the team on Thursday in Baltimore, along with Michael R. Enright, the governor-elect’s choice for his chief of staff. The group of influential business, political and civic leaders will help O’Malley and his lieutenant governor, Anthony G. Brown, lay the groundwork for their new administration in Annapolis.

Brown and Baltimore city solicitor Ralph S. Tyler are heading the transition team.

‘‘With their vast expertise in a wide array of state issues, the committee will help us find the most capable, competent professionals from every corner of the state,” said O’Malley, who takes office Jan. 17.

The team includes a number of prominent people, including former congressman and national NAACP president Kweisi Mfume.

O’Malley jokingly introduced Mfume as ‘‘Kweisi Mfume, United States Senator,” before adding, ‘‘Wrong press conference.”

The team also includes Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa de Maryland and T. Eloise Foster, a former Glendening administration budget secretary, who will lead a ‘‘very deliberate, very thorough budget review,” the mayor said.

The team is geographically and ethnically diverse, with a wide range of expertise, said Rick Abbruzzese, O’Malley’s press secretary.

It is also heavily weighted toward Baltimore.

‘‘There are probably more people from Baltimore because that is where the mayor has served for the last seven years,” Abbruzzese said. ‘‘Take that for what it’s worth.”

O’Malley reiterated comments he made last week that his transition to Annapolis would not gut Baltimore city’s government.

‘‘It’s been seven years, and this is the first time that they’ve ever acknowledged, one, that we have brains, or two, that we might have some of the best and the brightest,” O’Malley said Thursday. ‘‘There’s a certain number of people who will come, but one of the great things about these last seven years ... is that we’ve had enough time really to create a very strong bench, and much stronger managers and supervisors throughout city government.”

The team also includes Karen M. White, national political director for EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest political action committee, who brings a vast experience in state government.

‘‘She’s widely considered one of the foremost political strategists in the state,” Abbruzzese said. ‘‘I think her expertise will help us navigate some of the landmines in management issues, policy issues and budget issues.”

White is a former senior adviser and communications director for Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D), for whom she also acted as campaign manager. She also was his deputy secretary of the Department of Natural Resources.

White said she looks forward to helping O’Malley bring his vision for Maryland to the governor’s office.

‘‘Things have to happen quickly,” she said of the committee, which is based on the 20th floor of the William Donald Schaefer Tower in Baltimore and will hold its first meeting on Tuesday. With the legislative session two months away, ‘‘We have to get our arms around the budget and legislative issues,” she said.

Team members will form subcommittees to look at higher education, transportation, health care, public safety, the environment and other issues, Tyler said.

‘‘You can tell the people who’ve agreed to participate are people of accomplishment who represent a wide variety of backgrounds from around the state,” he said.

Patricia A. Foerster, a former president of the state teachers union, said she hoped ‘‘to represent the needs of children, vis-a-vis schooling and the strong communities they need.”

Asked if she would seek a job in the O’Malley administration, Foerster, who lost her bid to unseat Sen. Andrew P. Harris (R-Dist. 7) of Cockeysville last week, said, ‘‘[O’Malley] understands by my virtue of running for political office that I don’t consider myself done.”

Staff Writers Margie Hyslop and Thomas Dennison and Chris Yakaitis of the Capital News Service contributed to this report.

Shannon Avery, chairwoman, Legislation and Political Action Committee of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center of Baltimore & Central Maryland; assistant attorney general

George Beall, partner, Hogan & Hartson LLP

Richard O. Berndt, managing partner, Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP

Dwayne Brown, partner, Harbor Law Group Inc.

John Coale, lawyer and consumer advocate

Veronica Cool, vice president, Wachovia Bank; board of the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Michael Cryor, president, The Cryor Group

Patricia K. Cushwa, federal parole commissioner; former state senator from Washington County

Kamala Edwards, professor, Montgomery College; executive secretary of the Montgomery County chapter of NAACP

Patricia A. Foerster, former president, Maryland State Teachers Association

T. Eloise Foster, former state budget secretary

Donald C. Fry, president, Greater Baltimore Committee; former state senator for Harford and Cecil counties

Quincy Gamble, representative, Service Employees International Union Local 1199

Gary Gensler, treasurer, Baltimore Museum of Art; former Treasury Department official in the Clinton administration; former treasurer of the state Democratic Party who challenged Terry Lierman for the party chairmanship

Joseph Haskins Jr., chairman, president and CEO, Harbor Bank

Frank Heintz, former Public Service Commission chairman; former president and CEO of Baltimore Gas and Electric

Bel Leong-Hong, board member, Asian American Action Fund

Harry R. Hughes, former governor

Jon Laria, partner, Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll

Bruce Lee, vice president and general counsel, TissueGene Inc.

H. Jeffrey Leonard, president and co-founder, Global Environment Fund

Terry Lierman, chairman, Maryland Democratic Party

Tim Maloney, attorney; former state delegate from Prince George’s County

Fred Mason, president, Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO

Kweisi Mfume, former president and CEO of the NAACP; former five-term congressman who lost bid for Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in September

Glen Middleton, president, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Maryland Council 67

Doug Nelson, president, Annie E. Casey Foundation

The Rev. Frank M. Reid III, senior pastor, Bethel AME Church in Baltimore

Manervia Riddick, chairwoman, Strategic Solutions Center

Wayne Rogers, president, Synergics Inc.

Stephen H. Sachs, former Maryland attorney general

Steven S. Sharfstein, president and CEO, Sheppard Pratt Health System

James L. Shea, chairman, Venable LLP

Michael P. Smith, attorney, Bodie Nagle

Lucie Snodgrass, deputy manager of the O’Malley-Brown campaign

Richard Stewart, president and CEO, Montgomery Mechanical Services Inc.

Gustavo Torres, executive director, Casa of Maryland

Peggy Watson, former Baltimore city finance director

The Rev. Jonathan Weaver, senior pastor, Greater Mount Nebo AME Church in Bowie

Gregory K. Wells, partner, Shadoan, Michael, & Wells LLP; served as campaign manager for former Prince George’s County Executive Wayne K. Curry (D)

Karen White, national political director, EMILY’s List; former campaign manager, senior adviser and communications director for Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D)