Ex-delegate takes job in state government
Accused of abusing wife, Dembrow lost election

By David Nitkin
Sun Staff

May 30, 2003

The Ehrlich administration has hired former Del. Dana Lee Dembrow, a Montgomery County Democrat who lost his re-election bid last year amid widespread criticism of his arrest on domestic abuse charges.
Dembrow began work May 12 as the director of professional standards in the Department of Juvenile Justice, administration officials said. He will earn $65,000 a year.

"He's probably one of the most brilliant people I've met in the General Assembly," said Juvenile Justice Secretary Kenneth C. Montague in an interview yesterday. "He's a very skilled writer, and he has well-developed skills related to policy and policy development."

Montague, a former delegate, and Dembrow served together on the House Judiciary Committee for about a decade, sparring over drunken-driving laws, the state's criminal justice code and other issues.

Dembrow received negative publicity after his arrest in March last year on charges that he slapped his wife, Suzette Dembrow, during an argument at their Silver Spring home. Dembrow publicly apologized for the incident, then later filed countercharges against his wife, saying she struck him first.

Dembrow was acquitted in May last year after his wife refused to testify against him at trial. Efforts to reach him yesterday were unsuccessful.

The incident unleashed resentment against the outspoken and polarizing delegate. A coalition of domestic violence advocates, veterans, highway safety proponents and gay rights supporters formed a political action committee to defeat him.

Dembrow lost in the September primary election by 526 votes.

John Moulden, president of the Marylanders for Integrity in Annapolis PAC, said he was initially opposed to Dembrow because of votes against drunken-driving laws, but that the assault arrest fortified his views.

"I found that was something abhorrent, and it was not something we wanted in our delegate. That added a whole other dimension," Moulden said. "He was not a popular delegate. I just hope he performs well in his new position. I personally wish him well, as long as he's not representing me in the House of Delegates."

Del. Pauline H. Menes, a Prince George's County Democrat and member of the Women's Legislative Caucus - which issued a statement condemning domestic violence in the wake of the incident - said Dembrow should be allowed to move on to a new phase of his career.

"When he was a member of the General Assembly, taking positions on spousal abuse and family violence, then it was an issue," Menes said. "Now that he is no longer an elected official, the incident should be left to the past."

Montague said Dembrow's resume landed on his desk shortly after he was appointed by Ehrlich to be secretary of the agency, which is soon to be renamed the Department of Juvenile Services. Montague said he spoke with Dembrow about the arrest, adding that it would not hinder his duties.

Montague said Dembrow became active in Ehrlich's campaign. The former delegate participated in Democrats for Ehrlich events.

But Greg Massoni, a spokesman for the governor, said that he did not know of such participation and that the job did not hinge on it.
 
 

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