Newcomers to Annapolis get oriented

Friday, Dec. 1, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Chris Rossi⁄The Gazette Incoming Del. Barbara A. Robinson of Baltimore City listens to General Assembly veteran Adrienne A. Jones during an orientation for new Assembly members in Annapolis on Tuesday.

The 2007 freshman class — 34 in the House and 11 in the Senate — received a crash course in all things Annapolis this week, managing to do something not often seen in the legislative chambers for much of the past four years.

They got along and worked together.

‘‘The nice thing is we’re all in this together, so we’re forced to rely on each other,” said Del.-elect Peter F. Murphy (D-Dist. 28) of Bryans Road.

Whether the congeniality will continue once the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 10 remains uncertain, but the two-day orientation for the 37 Democrats and eight Republicans introduced them to life as a state lawmaker minus the party labels.

The rookies learned about the labyrinthine issues of state government: staffing, ethics regulations, bill drafting and the budget. To the state’s incoming executive, it constituted a disorienting orientation.

‘‘It’s an ironic name for something from which you emerge more dizzy than you did when you went in,” Gov.-elect Martin O’Malley (D) said.

‘‘The legislature is an acquired taste, like beer. It takes a little time to get used to it,” said Alan Rosenthal, a professor of public policy with the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Rosenthal, who addressed the freshmen on Tuesday, has studied the Maryland legislature for more than 40 years.

One of the political neophytes was optimistic he could quickly digest all the information within the next six weeks.

‘‘I hold my own in court, and I can hold my own in the legislature,” said Del.-elect Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington, a 26-year-old defense attorney who becomes one of the chamber’s youngest members.

The crop of 45 newcomers is a diverse group, with 13 minorities and 12 women, and they have varied careers. One, Del.-elect Jay Walker (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington, is a former NFL quarterback and another, Del.-elect James King (R-Dist. 33A) of Gambrills, is an Anne Arundel County restaurateur. Del.-elect Saqib Ali (D-Dist. 39) of Gaithersburg is the first Muslim elected to the Maryland legislature.

Many have previous political experience or come from political families. Del.-elect Kris Valderrama (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington is the daughter of David Valderrama, a judge and former delegate who was the first Filipino elected to the Maryland General Assembly.

For all their differences, they will join the General Assembly at a period of transition. Nearly one-quarter of both the Senate and House membership are new to their respective chambers. And Democrats have regained control of the governorship.

The newly minted lawmakers — 34 in the House and 11 in the Senate — received plenty of advice during the two-day training session.

‘‘They say, ‘Go along to get along.’ That’s OK. We encourage independence to some extent,” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach.

‘‘If you think you have the answer to everything, your colleagues are going to be the first to bring you back in line,” said House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis.

House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Dist. 17) of Gaithersburg urged the newcomers to put their constituents ahead of political priorities. ‘‘We are all members of some group that is not a majority and we all have to learn to work together,” he said.

Even Republican newcomers, despite being outnumbered almost three-to-one in the House, believe their legislative goals are within reach.

‘‘I would hope that we’re people first and legislators second,” said Del.-elect Donna Stifler (R-Dist. 35A) of Fallston. ‘‘My constituents didn’t elect me to sit around and listen for 90 days.”

That’s why Del.-elect Ron George (R-Dist. 30) of Arnold said it’s necessary for him to build relationships with Democrats.

‘‘I have to account for the fact that it’s going to be a struggle to get anything through without the help of Democrats,” said George, who owns a jewelry store a block from the State House.

The two-day orientation drew several comparisons to the start of school, with new names to learn and lots of information to absorb.

‘‘It’s like sharpening pencils and getting the new notebooks out,” said Del. Sue Kullen (D-Dist. 27B) of Port Republic, who attended the session even though she was appointed more than two years ago.

‘‘I felt like a high school girl going to prom. It almost brought me to tears,” Del.-elect Cheryl Glenn said.

Others with longer political résumés were not awestruck.

‘‘It will be easier for me than a lot of people who have not been in the political arena before,” said Sen.-elect James N. Robey (D-Dist.13) of Columbia, who is the outgoing Howard County executive and president of the Maryland Association of Counties.

Of the 11-member freshman class in the Senate, only five are first-time state lawmakers. Thirty-two of the 34 House newbies have never served in the legislature.

Several Democrats said they recognize they must pay their dues and are content learning during their first session. However, some have already mapped out specific legislative agendas for year one.

Glenn (D-Dist. 45) of Baltimore, a longtime union activist, wants to pass a bill that would make the city school board an elected office and reform school system management.

‘‘In Baltimore, we don’t have a one-size-fits-all system. We have 200 schools and they can all be treated the same,” she said.

New legislators will participate in a three-day statewide bus tour next week to further acclimate them to elected office. Details like committee assignments were a second thought to many.

‘‘They could put me on the cleaning the toilets committee for all I care,” said Del.-elect Todd Schuler (D-Dist. 8) of Overlea. ‘‘I’m just glad to be here.”