JUICE: Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's Shortlist of Running-Mates // PLUS: Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger Weighs Run for MD Governor

The 2014 Maryland Governor's race is just about to enter into high gear. Maryland Juice recently reported that Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown has scheduled a May 10th kickoff for his 2014 gubernatorial campaign. We also mentioned that rumors indicate Brown will appear at his Prince George's campaign rally with a running-mate beside him. Below we leak a few names on Anthony Brown's shortlist for Lt. Governor. But first another development is threatening to seriously alter the playing field in 2014. Indeed, there may be a new entrant on the battle field! We knew that a dark horse candidate for statewide office might emerge eventually....

CONGRESSMAN DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER IS CONSIDERING RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR - In a surprise move, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger is apparently thinking about leaving Congress to run for Governor in 2014. The Baltimore Sun's Dan Rodricks reported on the wild development this evening (excerpt below):

DAN RODRICKS (VIA BALTIMORE SUN) - Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the six-term congressman and former Baltimore County executive, "is considering it," says his spokeswoman, Jaime Lennon.

Ruppersberger is the ranking Democratic member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, a great assignment but one that has a term limit and ends when the current Congress does, in two years....

INCOMPLETE SHORTLIST OF ANTHONY BROWN'S POSSIBLE RUNNING-MATES - Below Maryland Juice provides a shortlist of several possible 2014 running-mates for Anthony Brown's gubernatorial campaign. NOTE: This is not a complete list of all of the possible candidates on Brown's shortlist. However, each of the names below have been mentioned to me by knowledgeable sources, and at least some of them appear to be going through some level of vetting.

Rival gubernatorial candidate Ken Ulman's name is included below for obvious reasons, but it is unclear if he's even considering teaming up with Brown for the #2 spot. Similarly, Howard County Councilmember Courtney Watson is listed below, but she is also a candidate for Howard County Executive in 2014. It is therefore also unclear whether she would be willing to abandon her campaign for an unplanned run for LG. Okay, enough blabbering on my part. Without further ado here are some of the possible running-mates for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown:

• OPTION #1:  Vicki Almond - Baltimore County Councilmember
• OPTION #2:  Bill Cole - Baltimore City Councilmember

• OPTION #3:  Kathleen Dumais - District 15 Delegate (Montgomery County)

• OPTION #4:  Nancy King - District 39 State Senator (Montgomery County)

• OPTION #5:  Roger Manno - District 19 State Senator (Montgomery County)

• OPTION #6:  Nancy Navarro - Montgomery County Council President

• OPTION #7:  Ken Ulman - Howard County Executive

• OPTION #8:  Courtney Watson - Howard County Council

QUICK NOTES: Of the eight names listed above, it is worth noting that five are women. It is also worth noting that only one option would be history-making for any racial or ethnic group. On the geographic front, 50% of the names on my shortlist are from Montgomery County, and the next runner-up is Howard County with two possible running-mates (if you count Ken Ulman). Baltimore City and County each have one name on my list, but remember that there could be more candidates on the shortlist than I have been able to discover. In any case, the names above still provide an interesting window into the considerations Brown's team might be making. None of their choices so far are shocking though, given that the DC suburbs alone could make up almost 40% of the Democratic Primary electorate, and women outnumber men in the Democratic Party.


OPTION #1:  VICKI ALMOND, BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER - Baltimore County Councilmember Vicki Almond provides the following biography on her website:

Councilwoman Vicki Almond took the oath of office on December 6, 2010, to represent the Second District on the Baltimore County Council. She became the first woman to hold this seat and only the third woman to serve on the Baltimore County Council. She made history, along with Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, by being the first women to serve together on the Baltimore County Council. In January 2012, she became the first woman to Chair the Baltimore County Council in more than 20 years.

Vicki Almond, Baltimore County Council

Vicki Almond's 30 years of leadership in public schools, working with our police and fire departments, leading community groups, in state government and in Baltimore County Democratic politics, prepared her to provide our community with thoughtful, responsible, and ethical leadership.

Prior to her campaign, Councilwoman Almond served as Chief of Staff to Senator Bobby Zirkin. She also managed Delegate Dana Stein's successful campaign for his first term in 2006. County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger appointed her to the Baltimore County Women's Commission and she served on the Rosewood Advisory Board. She also was instrumental in the creation of Baltimore County's School Resource Officer (SRO) Program which places a police officer in our public middle and high schools.

Councilwoman Almond has an extensive community resume. She served as PTA President at both Franklin Middle School and Franklin High School. She was the President of the Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council on two occasions. She has been a leader in the Garrision and Franklin Police Community Relations Councils and an organizer of the Reister's Towne Festival.

Through serving the community all of these years Councilwoman Almond has had the opportunity to not only get to know the people of the community, but to fully understand their needs. She is committed to Baltimore County's future and believes that the key to a prosperous community is one in which people want to live and raise a family, where companies both large and small want to locate, where our seniors are treated with the respect and dignity, and where we are strengthened by our religious, cultural and ethnic diversity.

She believes in a balanced approach to development that encourages growth in our commercial corridors while both protecting the integrity of our existing residential communities and preserving our district's sensitive environmental areas.

Councilwoman Almond currently lives in Reisterstown with her husband Joe. She has two daughters, both of whom attended Cedarmere Elementary, Franklin Middle and Franklin High Schools, and now has six beautiful grandchildren.

OPTION #2:  BILL COLE, BALTIMORE CITY COUNCILMEMBER - Councilmember Bill Cole provides the following biography on his website:

Councilman Bill Cole began his career in government as an intern in the Maryland State Senate in 1994, then served two sessions as  a legislative aide to former State Senator Walter Baker. In 1996, he was hired by newly elected Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07) as Staff Assistant and later Special Assistant.  Cole managed one of three district offices, remaining on the Congressman’s staff until 2003. 

Bill Cole, Baltimore City Council

In 1998, Bill was elected to the Democratic State Central Committee and a few months later selected to fill the District 47 Maryland House of Delegates seat vacated by Judge Timothy D. Murphy.  The 2002 legislative redistricting process eliminated Baltimore’s 47th Legislative District and Bill lost to three incumbents in the newly formed 46th Legislative District. 

Bill was first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 2007, and re-elected in 2011 wining 75% of the vote. 

After receiving a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland College Park in 1994, and a M.A. in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore in 1996, Bill was admitted to Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the national honor society for graduate and professional students. 

Born  in Cecil County, Bill has lived in downtown Baltimore for more than 25 years. He and his wife Michelle, an assistant Maryland Attorney General, live in the Otterbein neighborhood where he has served as president of the community association. Their three children attend Baltimore City Public Schools.

OPTION #3:  KATHLEEN DUMAIS, DISTRICT 15 DELEGATE - District 15 Delegate Kathleen Dumais provides the following biography on her website:

Kathleen M. Dumais is a member of the Litigation Practice Group of Ethridge, Quinn, Kemp, McAuliffe, Rowan & Hartinger in Rockville, Maryland and concentrates in family law. Her practice includes complex divorce and custody matters. Kathleen often serves as a court-appointed Best Interest Attorney for children in custody disputes. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Additionally, Kathleen is an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 15 in Montgomery County. Speaker Michael Busch appointed Kathleen as the Parliamentarian for the House of Delegates in 2006. She also serves as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and is the Chair of the Family Law subcommittee.

Kathleen Dumais, District 15 Delegate

Recently, Kathleen received the prestigious 2010 Beverly A. Groner Family Law Award from the Maryland State Bar Association Family & Juvenile Law Section. She will also receive the 2010 Rita C. Davidson Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland and the 2010 Dorothy Beatty Memorial Award from the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, Inc.

Kathleen was included in the May/June 2010 “Top Divorce Lawyers” article in Bethesda Magazine. She was named one of the top 50 divorce lawyers in the Washington Metropolitan area by the Washingtonian magazine in February 2000 and February 2004, and was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2005, 2007 and 2009 by the Daily Record. Kathleen is now a member of the Daily Record’s “Circle of Excellence.” She was named the “2005 Woman of the Year” by the Montgomery County Business and Professional Women (BPW). In 2006, she received the Professionalism Award from the Montgomery County Bar Association.

Additionally, Ms. Dumais received the 2005 Legislative Award from the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV); the 2007 Public Policy Award from the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA); the 2008 Legislator of the Year Award from the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women (MLAW); and the 2009 Public Policy Award from the Maryland Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).

She also served on the Board of the Montgomery County Bar Foundation and was formerly the Treasurer of the Foundation and the Montgomery County Bar Association. She was Co-Chair of the Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association during 1997-98. Further, she is a past president of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Montgomery County Chapter, and was an elected member of that Executive Committee from 1995 to 2006. She formerly chaired the New Practitioner’s Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, and has been a member of numerous Bar Association special committees and task forces.

As a former high school teacher, she continues to work with young adults through the High School Mock Trial program, a joint effort of the Montgomery County Public Schools and Bar Association. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, her alma mater.

Ms. Dumais received her undergraduate degree (cum laude) from Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and her J.D. from the University of Maryland, School of Law in 1983. She is a member of the Maryland Bar, 1987; the bar of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 1990; and the District of Columbia Bar, 1993.

OPTION #4:  NANCY KING, DISTRICT 39 STATE SENATOR - District 39 State Senator Nancy King provides the following biography on her website:

Senator Nancy King was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York. She graduated from the Niagara Falls public school system and attended Niagara County Community College.

Nancy King, District 39 State Senate

Upon moving to Maryland in 1981, King became involved in a number of civic organizations. In 1987 she became Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Trecor, Inc., a family-owned consulting and forensic engineering company. Senator King continues in that position today.

King's children attended Montgomery County public schools, and it was during that time that she began volunteering in the school system. In 1993, she became President of the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).

In 1994, King was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education representing District 1 and quickly rose through the leadership ranks, and served for two years as President. Mrs. King continued to serve on the School Board until 2002, until she was elected to Maryland's House of Delegates representing District 39.

As a member of the House of Delegates, King served on the Ways and Means Committee where, in 2006, she became the Chair of the Education sub-committee. In August of 2007, King was elected by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Senator P.J. Hogan. Subsequently, Governor Martin O'Malley approved the appointment and she was sworn in as Senator for District 39 on September 6, 2007. In November of 2010 Senator King won the election to continue representing District 39 in the Senate.

King has become an active leader in the Senate and was recognized as the State Legislator of the Year by the National Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Technology Advocate of the Year by the Tech Council of Maryland in 2011. Senator King was chosen to serve on the Budget and Taxation Committee including the Capital Budget and Education, Business, & Administration sub-committees. King is also the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth & Families.

OPTION #5:  ROGER MANNO, DISTRICT 19 STATE SENATOR - District 19 State Senator Roger Manno provides the following biography on his website (excerpt below):

Senator Roger Manno was sworn-in to the Maryland State Senate on January 12th, 2011, after previously serving four years in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Roger Manno, District 19 Senate

Roger is a member of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, serves as one of four Senators on the Health and Human Services Subcommittee, and is a member of the Pension Subcommittee. He is the only freshman Senator on the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the only attorney, and the first Senator from the 19th District to ever serve on the important committee.

Roger also serves on the Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing, the Joint Committee on Federal Relations, the Joint Committee on Pensions, the State Advisory Council on Hereditary and Congenital Disorders, the Maryland Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission, and is the Senate Chairman of both the Maryland Task Force to Study Financial Matters Relation to Long-Term Care Facilities, and the Maryland Youth Advisory Council.

In 2009, Roger was appointed to serve on the Working Group of State Legislators for Health Reform. Convened by President Obama's White House, the Working Group played an active role in advising the White House during the development and implementation of the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" -- the largest expansion of health care since the implementation of Medicare -- and the group continues to serve as an advisory panel to facilitate implementation of the pending health care Exchanges. Outside of the legislature, Roger serves on the national steering committee of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care, and the board of B'nai B'rith International (Chesapeake Bay Region)....

Prior to his election to the legislature, Roger served as a Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel/Senior Counsel in the United States Congress.   In that capacity Roger drafted numerous legislative initiatives, including:  legislation ensuring thorough health care screenings for all U.S. troops; several post-9/11 Homeland Security bills and amendments strengthening security and civil rights; alternative U.S. Budgets sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus; and was an organizer of issue forums for the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference.  Additionally, as a staff member handling International Relations issues and Foreign Operations Appropriations, in 2005 Roger traveled to Israel with a congressional staff delegation during Israel’s "Disengagement" from Israel's West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Immediately following the attacks on September 11, 2001, Roger served as a key staff member on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Task Force (Democratic Caucus), drafting Homeland Security amendments and alternatives to The Patriot Act. While his work dealt with a broad range of Homeland Security issues, his specific contributions were in the area of Domestic Law Enforcement.

Prior to law school Roger worked in public schools with academically, emotionally, and socially challenged special-needs students....

Roger earned his law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center (University of New Hampshire) and was the Chair of the Democratic Law Caucus. In addition, Roger earned a Masters in Intellectual Property Law, an area of the law dealing with prescription drug patents and obtaining affordable prescription drugs....

Roger is married to his childhood sweetheart, Marjorie.  Roger's parents, Bea and John reside in New York City, and Roger's sister, Shana, lives in Israel. Roger, Marjorie, and their two cats, Chester and Ms. LuLu, live in the Silver Spring area bordering Olney and Sandy Spring. They are members of Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland.

OPTION #6:  NANCY NAVARRO, MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL PRESIDENT - Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro provides the following biography on her website:

Nancy Navarro currently serves as President of the Montgomery County Council. She was elected to represent District 4 on the Council in a special election on May 19, 2009 and re-elected in the general election on November 4, 2010. Since December 2010, she has chaired the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee and serves on the Health and Human Services Committee. She served as Council Vice President for the 2011-2012 session, and has been elected Council President for the 2012-2013 session of the Council.

Nancy Navarro, Montgomery County Council

In October 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Nancy as a member of the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where she serves on the Early Childhood Education Committee.

Prior to joining the Council, Nancy was a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education, where she served two consecutive terms as Board President. She was first appointed to the Board of Education in October 2004 to fill a vacant seat. On Nov. 7, 2006, she was elected to a full four-year term. Nancy was a member of the Board’s Strategic Planning Committee and chaired the Communications and Public Engagement Committee.

Before entering public office, Nancy co-founded a non-profit, community-based organization with a mission to assist the economic and educational development of Latino and other immigrant communities. School readiness, healthy family development, and academic achievement was the primary focus of the organization. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, she participated in the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) at Harvard University, where the Montgomery County Public Schools team focused on race, poverty and the academic achievement gap.

Nancy has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles, including PTSA co-president; chair of the Youth, Schools, and Childcare Work Group of the Long Branch Revitalization Task Force; co-founder of the Montgomery County Non-Profit Village; member of the Montgomery County Gang Prevention Task Force; member of the National Child Care Action Campaign; Member of the Advisory Committee for the Washington Area Foundation Portrait Project. She also served as a bilingual classroom parent volunteer.

Nancy has received numerous awards and recognitions, including: the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County’s Leadership Award; the Maryland State Department of Education’s Women Who Dare Leadership Award; the Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County’s Poder con Ganas Award; the U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education’s Hispanic Hero Award; the Montgomery County Business and Professional Women Association’s Women of Achievement 2007 Award; the Community Teachers Institute’s Heart of the Community Award; the 2009 and 2013 Maryland’s Top 100 Women Award; and the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Elected Local Government Official of the Year Award.

Nancy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri (Columbia). She was born in Caracas, Venezuela and has lived in Montgomery County for more than two decades with her husband, Reginald, and two daughters.

OPTION #7:  KEN ULMAN, HOWARD COUNTY EXECUTIVE - Howard County Executive Ken Ulman provides the following biography on his website (excerpt below):

On Dec. 6, 2010, Ulman was sworn in as County Executive for a second term, reaffirming his commitment to the citizens of Howard County with energy, passion, and innovation.

Ken Ulman, Howard County Executive

Ulman’s practical approach to governing and fiscal responsibility saves taxpayers dollars without sacrificing core public services, while also allowing his administration to focus on initiatives in strategic areas like environmental sustainability, healthcare, technology, and economic development efforts.

In one of his first actions as County Executive, Ulman created the Howard County Office of Environmental Sustainability with a mission to protect and enhance natural resources and the quality of life in our community through the conservation, preservation and restoration of our land, air and water. Through this office, Ulman has enacted many measures that have reduced the County’s environmental footprint, such as the transformation of the County’s fleet of vehicles to hybrids wherever possible, enactment of green building standards and a single-stream recycling program that serves as a model for neighboring jurisdictions.

In addition to environmental issues, Ulman has a strong commitment to public health. At a young age, he witnessed his younger brother battle and beat cancer.  Driven by this personal experience and the belief that everyone should have access to affordable and preventive healthcare, Ulman and Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson launched Healthy Howard.

In 2008, Howard County became one of the first in the nation to offer affordable access to health care for uninsured residents. The Healthy Howard Access Plan has earned numerous awards, including the “Government Innovation Award” from the Maryland Society of Public Administration and was the winner of the “Bright Ideas” award from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  In 2008 The Daily Record recognized Ulman and Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson with the “Innovator of the Year Award"....

Ulman currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), an organization that makes sure Maryland’s 23 counties and the City of Baltimore are heard when decisions are made in the state’s capital....

Ulman is a graduate of The University of Maryland, College Park and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.  He and his wife, Jacqueline, reside in Columbia with their two daughters, Maddie and Lily.

Ulman is also the Vice-Chair of Health Policy for the National Association of Counties, Treasurer for the National Democratic County Officials, and a member of the Democratic National Committee.

OPTION #8:  COURTNEY WATSON, HOWARD COUNTY COUNCIL - Howard County Councilmember Courtney Watson provides the following biography on her website (excerpt below):

Courtney Watson was first elected to the County Council in November, 2006 to represent the First Council District which includes portions of Ellicott City, Elkridge and Hanover. She has also served as Council Chairperson.

Courtney Watson, Howard County Council

Mrs. Watson is a lifelong Howard County resident raised in Clarksville. She was educated in the Howard County Public School System and graduated from Atholton High School.

After several years as a community activist, Mrs. Watson was elected in 2002 to the Board of Education, completing a four year term and serving two years as Chairman. During this time a new superintendent, Dr. Sydney L. Cousin, was hired, the cultural proficiency program was begun, and six new schools were constructed.

Mrs. Watson served on the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Committee, the Ellicott City Master Plan Steering Committee, and the Economic Development Authority Strategic Plan Committee. She has served on the Spending and Bond Affordability Committee.  Ms. Watson serves as the President of the Women of MACo (Maryland Association of Counties).  She served on the 2007 MACo Education Subcommittee.

Mrs. Watson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Sellinger School of Business at Loyola.

Mrs. Watson and her husband, Richard, have lived in Ellicott City for over 20 years. They have three children.

 More on the 2014 Battle for Governor soon!