Out and About (Sort Of): Two Women by Howard Freedlander

Three weeks ago I was invited to attend the re-election and swearing in of Treasurer Nancy Kopp, my former boss. It was a joyful experience.

Maryland is one of four states where the treasurer is elected by the state legislature. In an almost archaic process, 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly—47 senators and 141 delegates—vote by secret ballot, followed by the public recording of each vote by a legislative clerk.

Up to 1845, Maryland had two treasurers, one from the Eastern Shore and one from the Western Shore. The last treasurer from the Eastern Shore was John H. Harris, a Talbot County farmer who owned 300 acres on the Choptank River and Bolingbroke Creek.

Treasurer Kopp, a Bethesda resident, was re-elected to her fourth term by a large margin. As a deputy treasurer in her office for nearly eight years, I had a front-row seat watching one of the best public servants in Annapolis perform her duties in a calm, level-headed and policy-driven way.

Along with the governor and comptroller, she sits on the powerful Board of Public Works, where I served as her liaison and adviser. Her questions and comments were always on point, asked in her typically low-key, considerate and perceptive manner.

Following Nancy Kopp’s election and swearing-in, I enjoyed talking with Del. Johnny Mautz and Sen. Addie Eckardt. I had spoken prior to the election with Del. Chris Adams. as he awaited a school group from Wicomico County. All three represent District 37.

In her post-election remarks, Treasurer Kopp waxed nostalgic about her days as a rookie delegate on the House Appropriations Committee, then headed by a powerful delegate from Caroline County, John Hargreaves. As an editor once upon a time of The County Record in Denton, I knew Del. Hargreaves and spent a day with him in Annapolis during the legislature session. He was liked and feared.

An announcement last week by U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski that she was retiring at the end of her term in 2016 surprised citizens and politicians alike. She will be tough to replace.

Media reaction to the impending retirement seemed to focus on her small size and huge political prowess and impact. She was described as tenacious, determined, savvy, and, yes, parochial when it came to bringing federal money and agencies to Maryland.

While “earmarks” have become a dirty word—and maybe an obsolete concept– in our Nation’s capitol, I believe that U.S. senators and representatives can and should be judged on ensuring their states are the recipients of federal largesse. Good government advocates may disagree, and that’s okay too.

Sen. Mikulski knows the process in Washington. She is exceptionally skilled at working effectively within the system to attract federal funds to our state, thus bringing jobs and, in the case, for example, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), money for scientific research related to cancer and serious diseases.

When I think about Barbara Mikulski, I think first about her Baltimore roots in East Baltimore and her love of neighborhoods and social services. Then, when I consider what she has done in supporting Maryland businesses like Northrop Grumman and the seafood industry in Dorchester County, I realize how lucky we have been in Maryland to be represented by someone as capable –and tough-minded—as Sen. Mikulski.

The scramble in both political parties to replace Sen. Mikulski began immediately after her announcement. As I wrote at the outset, she will be a difficult act to replicate.