http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/elections/bal-md.miller16nov16,0,35850.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
From the Baltimore Sun
Senate president declares that he won't run in 2010
Miller, 63, has held the powerful position longer than anyone else in
state history
By Michael Dresser
sun reporter
November 16, 2006
Thomas V. Mike Miller, the blunt-speaking president of the Maryland
Senate for the past two decades, says he will not run for re-election
in 2010 - closing his legislative career after four decades.
Miller, 63, has held the top spot in the Senate longer than anyone else
in state history. If he is re-elected to that post in January, as
expected, he will have served 24 years in that position - twice as long
as the previous record-holder.
"I still have all the enthusiasm," Miller said last night. But he noted
that he has 10 grandchildren under 10 years old and wants "to do some
other things" after one more term.
The Senate president holds one of the three most powerful positions in
Maryland state government - along with the governor and the speaker of
the House of Delegates. As president, Miller has expertly used the
powers of that office - especially his control over committee
chairmanships and other assignments - to maintain his grip on the
chamber and to stand up to governors from William Donald Schaefer to
Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Miller, who represents a district that includes parts of Prince
George's and Calvert counties, said he worked hard to replace Ehrlich
with Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley and looks forward to working with the
incoming administration over the next four years.
The Senate leader, who has long been the chief generator of campaign
cash for Democratic senators and nominees, said he is making his
intentions known now because he does not want to raise money in his
name when he knows he is planning to retire.
"It's sort of like a truth in advertising," he said.
Miller said he wants to encourage other leaders to fill his role in
raising money and recruiting candidates. "It's time for another
generation of legislators to get involved in that," he said.
Miller was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1970. He was
re-elected for a ninth Senate term this month with about 70 percent of
the vote.
One visible part of his legacy in Annapolis is the new Senate office
building, which colleagues named after him.
michael.dresser@baltsun.com
Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun