Baltimore Loses Control Of Key House Chairmanship

By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 22, 2003; Page B06
 

Baltimore's already waning influence in Maryland politics suffered another blow yesterday as an Eastern Shore lawmaker was named to a top leadership post in the House of Delegates, despite strong lobbying from Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and other city politicians.

Del. Norman H. Conway (D-Wicomico) won the coveted chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee after a brief but spirited competition to succeed Howard P. Rawlings, a Baltimore Democrat who died of cancer Nov. 14 after holding the influential job for a decade.

The appointment was announced yesterday by House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), who said he agonized over whether the plum position should go to Conway, the committee's longtime vice chairman, or someone from Baltimore, which traditionally has wielded enormous influence over the state's spending decisions.

"Some people are going to be happy, some people are going to be disappointed," Busch said of his choice. "I tried to do what I thought would be in the best interest of the House."

Baltimore historically has dominated affairs in the General Assembly, but in recent years there has been a shift in power, with most of it going to the Washington suburbs.

Of the 10 standing legislative committees in the House and Senate, half are headed by lawmakers from Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The head of only one of these committees represents a district within the Baltimore city limits.

O'Malley (D) said he had tried to persuade Busch to appoint someone from Baltimore but declined to criticize the selection of Conway, whom he called "a good and decent man."

"Sure, I'm disappointed," he said. "I advocated hard for it. The fears are that in a state dominated by legislators who represent primarily suburban districts, that there will be a lack of understanding about the issues facing a large urban area like Baltimore."

O'Malley likewise declined to criticize Busch, calling him "a good Democrat" and saying he was pleased with the speaker's decision to name Baltimore Democratic Del. Talmadge Branch as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee. "I really do appreciate that," he said.

In addition to Branch, Busch appointed Del. Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore) to head a budget subcommittee.

Busch also had faced pressure from black legislators to replace Rawlings with a black delegate. Although black voters are perhaps the most reliable constituency in the Democratic Party, there are now only two black committee chairmen in the General Assembly.

Del. Obie Patterson (D-Prince George's), chairman of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, said members of the group would likely be disappointed. "We lost a major seat," he said. "I truly would have liked to see an African American retain that seat."

At the same time, Busch said he was trying to protect rural Democrats such as Conway, many of whom feel threatened by the growth of the Republican Party in Maryland. GOP state Chairman John Kane has made a show in Annapolis of walking around with a "target list" of conservative Democrats who might be vulnerable to Republican challenge.

"I'm pretty much in tune with the dynamics out there, and I know the rural legislators are under a lot of pressure," Busch said. "I think every rural Democrat is in the binder of John Kane. That's just a fact of life."

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