![[photo, Martin J. O'Malley, Governor of Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/gov/images/1198-1-06266b.jpg)
MARTIN J. O'MALLEY
Governor of Maryland, January 17, 2007 to January 21, 2015.
Co-Chair, Council of Governors, 2013-15 (member, 2010-15). Member, Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resiliance, 2013-15.
Assistant State's Attorney, Baltimore City, 1988-90.
Member, City Council, Baltimore City, representing 3rd District, 1991-99 (chair, legislative investigations committee; chair, taxation & finance committee).
Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, December 7, 1999 to January 17, 2007. Member, Advisory Council for Port Land-Use Development, 1999-2005; Board of Estimates, Baltimore City, 1999-2007. Board of Directors, Baltimore Metropolitan Council, 1999-2007 (chair, 2004; vice-chair, 2003). Member, Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, 1999-2007. Board of Directors, Maryland African American Museum Corporation, 1999-2007. Board of Visitors, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical System, 1999-2007. Member, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Baltimore City, 1999-2015.
Co-Chair, Task Force on Federal-Local Law Enforcement, 2001-07, and Chair, Homeland Security Task Force, 2003-07, U.S. Conference of Mayors. Chair, International Task Force, National League of Cities, 2005-07.
Born in District of Columbia, January 18, 1963. Attended Gonzaga College High School, Washington DC; Catholic University of America, B.A., 1985; University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., 1988. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1988. Attorney. Member, Maryland State Bar Association. State field director, "Mikulski for Senate" campaign, 1986. Legislative fellow with U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, 1987-88. Board of Trustees, Walters Art Museum, 1999-2015. Delegate, Democratic Party National Convention, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 (co-chair, rules committee, 2012). Board of Directors, Maryland Municipal League, 2006-07. Member, Maryland Association of Counties (legislative committee). Honorary Chair, Board of Trustees, Baltimore City Historical Society, 2002-07. Honorary member, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, 2002-07. State Chair, Hillary Rodham Clinton Maryland Presidential Campaign, 2007-08. Member, National Governors Association (public safety task force, 2007-09; co-chair, homeland security task force, 2008-09; Governors' Wind Energy Coalition, 2008-15; co-chair, homeland security & public safety task force, 2010-15). Chair, Democratic Governors Association, 2010-12 (vice-chair, 2008-10; finance chair, 2007-08). Board of Directors, CollegeBound Foundation. Member, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Urban Innovation Award, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, 2002. Award for Public Service, Center for Irish Programs, Boston College, 2002. National Award for Local Arts Leadership, U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2004. Leadership Award, Energy Efficiency Forum, United States Energy Association, 2005. Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2007. Award, Progressive Maryland, 2007. Sportsmen's Best Friend of the Year Award, Maryland Legislative Sportsmen's Foundation, 2008. Leadership in Government Award, Keystone Center, 2008. Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative Courageous Leadership Award, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Awards Committee, 2009. National Leadership Award, Stem Cell Action Awards, Genetics Policy Institute, 2009. Champion for Children Award, Maryland Interagency Coordinating Council, 2009. Maryland Climate Leadership Award, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 2009. Public Official of the Year, Governing Magazine, 2009. Legislative Award, Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, 2009. Recognized for leadership on environmental issues, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 2009. National Technology Champion Award, National Association of State Chief Information Officers, 2010. Governor of the Year Award, Biotechnology Industry Organization, 2010. Most Distinguished Leader of the Year for Minority Business Enterprise, Maryland-Washington Minority Contractors' Association, 2010. America's Greatest Education Governor Award, National Education Association, 2010. Minority Contractors Champion Award, Maryland Minority Contractors Association, 2010. Policymaker of the Year, Data Quality Campaign, 2010. Defender of the Middle Class Award, Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, 2011. Executive Branch Award, Maryland Access to Justice Commission, 2011. Public Supporter of the Year, Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland, 2011. DeStefano Service Award, YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, 2011. Distinguished Graduate Award, University of Maryland School of Law, 2011. Vision Award, Arbor Day Foundation, 2012. Conservation Achievement Award, National Wildlife Federation, 2012. Herschel Vision Award, Jews United for Justice, 2012. Rita C. Davidson Award, Women's Bar Association of Maryland, 2012. Ann Miller Anti-Hunger Award, & Publis Supporter of the Year, Maryland Food Bank, 2013. Climate Visionary Award, League of Conservation Voters, 2013. Public Supporter of the Year, Maryland Food Bank, 2014. Ann Miller Anti-Hunger Leader Award, Maryland Food Bank, 2014. Inductee, Irish American Hall of Fame, 2014. Capitol Dome Award, Cancer Action Network, American Cancer Society, 2014. Betty Tyler Award, Planned Parenthood of Maryland, 2014. Lifetime Leadership Award, Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition, 2014. Leaders of Democracy Award, Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Foundation, 2014. Reginald V. Truitt Environmental Award, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 2014. Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Achievement Award, Center for Digital Government, 2014. Member, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Baltimore, Maryland. Married; four children.
A former Governing Magazine “Public Official of the Year,” Governor O’Malley was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. His 2013 legislative successes were described in a Baltimore Sun editorial as “without many parallels in recent Maryland history.”
With a balanced approach of spending cuts, regulatory reform, and modern investment in education, innovation, and infrastructure, Governor O’Malley and his Administration made better choices that delivered better results, including:
Under the Governor’s leadership, Maryland also ranks:
The Milken Institute ranks Maryland as one of the top two states in America for science and technology.
Maryland is one of only a few states to earn an AAA Bond Rating, certified by all three major rating agencies.
Called “arguably the best manager in government” by Washington Monthly magazine, Governor O’Malley cut State spending more than any previous governor in Maryland’s history, balancing these record cuts with targeted, modern investments in priorities like public education. He reduced the size of government to its smallest size since 1973 (on a per capita basis) and reformed how it is managed, so that it works more efficiently and accountably. His actions to save Maryland’s State pension system have made it sustainable over the long term. His fiscal stewardship nearly eliminated Maryland’s structural deficit. His efforts to streamline, consolidate and digitize processes like business licensing made Maryland a better place to do business.
Governor O’Malley’s StateStat initiative – modeled after the CitiStat initiative he created in the City of Baltimore – is widely cited as a model for government efficiency and effectiveness.
Teaming with the men and women of Maryland law enforcement, the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s crime fighting initiatives drove down violent crime and homicide to the lowest levels in three decades. The Administration’s homeland security strategies also turned around security at the Port of Baltimore.
The O’Malley-Brown Administration expanded health care to more than 380,000 previously uninsured Marylanders. It reduced infant mortality to an historic low, and provided meals to thousands of hungry children as it moved forward toward its goal for eradicating childhood hunger.
The Governor’s policies made strides in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay and saving the Bay’s native blue crab and oyster populations.
The O’Malley Administration secured millions of dollars in rate relief for Maryland energy consumers while jump-starting the creation of thousands of green energy sector jobs. Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland led the charge for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first cap-and-trade auction of greenhouse emissions.
Governor O’Malley cut income taxes for 86% of Marylanders and reformed Maryland’s tax code to make it more progressive. In addition, he signed the nation’s first statewide living wage law, along with some of the nation’s most comprehensive reforms to protect homeowners from foreclosure.
Declaring that Marylanders are bound together by “the common thread of human dignity,” Governor O’Malley signed legislation to protect individual civil marriage rights and religious freedom, along with legislation to protect voting rights. He signed – and successfully defended at the ballot box – the DREAM Act, which expands the opportunity of a college education to more Marylanders.
Prior to serving as Governor, O’Malley served as Mayor of the City of Baltimore, where he was recognized by Esquire magazine as “the best young mayor in the country” and by Time magazine as one of America’s “Top 5 Big City Mayors.” First elected in 1999, he was re-elected in 2003, receiving 87 percent of the vote. Between 1999 and 2009 his policies helped the people of Baltimore achieve the greatest crime reduction of America’s largest cities.
Governor O’Malley received his bachelor’s degree from Catholic University and his law degree from the University of Maryland. In 1986, while in law school, he was named by then-Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski as state field director for her successful primary and general election campaigns for the U.S. Senate. From 1987 to 1988 he served as a legislative fellow for Senator Mikulski, where he focused on obtaining federal funding for projects in Maryland. In 1988, O’Malley was appointed assistant state’s attorney for the City of Baltimore. He served on the Baltimore City Council from 1991 to 1999, during which time he chaired the Legislative Investigations Committee, and the Taxation and Finance Committee.
Governor O’Malley served two terms as Chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and also served as the organization’s Finance Chair. In addition, he served as Co-Chair for the Special Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety of the National Governors Association. He was appointed to the nation’s first-ever Council of Governors by President Obama in 2010 and was named co-chair of the Council in 2013.
Martin and his wife Katie, a Maryland District Court Judge, have two daughters, Grace and Tara, and two sons, William and Jack. They are members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
© Copyright Maryland State Archives