Gov. Martin O’Malley has appointed former Prince George’s County Delegate Darren Swain to the House of Delegates. Swain will fill the vacated D24 seat that has been locked in a legal battle after Tiffany Alston was forced to step down last year.
PRESS RELEASE
STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON APPOINTMENT OF DISTRICT 24 DELEGATE
ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 25, 2013) – Governor Martin O’Malley issued the following statement on his decision to appoint Darren Swain to the Maryland House of Delegates:
“After careful consideration of a number of very impressive, qualified, and talented candidates, I am pleased to appoint Darren Swain to represent District 24 in the House of Delegates.
“With experience as a former legislator, support from county and local partners, and his dedication and commitment to moving our State forward, I am confident that Darren Swain will serve the people of Prince George’s County with distinction.
“I thank the Prince George’s County Central Committee and County Executive Rushern Baker for their valuable insights and hard work in filling this important seat in the House of Delegates for the people of the 24th District of Prince George’s County.”
Darren Swain previously served in the House of Delegates, District 24, from 1999 to 2003. He presently serves as assistant vice president for alumni relations at Bowie State University. He also served as a business analyst for the Prince George’s County Minority Business Opportunities Commission. He holds a B.S. in political science and an M.A. in administrative management from Bowie State University.
The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that former Delegate Tiffany Alston’s seat is vacant and can’t get it back despite her plea deal. The court, in a one paragraph ruling, also sided with Governor Martin O’Malley (D) that the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee could withdraw their previous nomination of Greg Hall. Following the ruling Tiffany Alston and Greg Hall both slammed the court and said it would damage the potential for local residents to decide their own representation.
Tiffany Alston was removed from her seat after being found guilty for paying her legal assistant through state funds. Alston later entered into a plea agreement for campaign violations after being accused of paying for her wedding dress with campaign funds. The agreement called for community service with the promise of later expunging her record. After Alston’s plea agreement the House of Delegates declared her seat vacant and the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee met and nominated Gregg Hall as her replacement. Hall who defeated committee chair Terry Speigner for the nomination later came under fire for a past that included drug charges two decades ago. News of those charges led Governor O’Malley to seek another replacement which initially was refused by the committee.
The Democratic Central Committee is expected to meet soon to formally withdraw Hall’s name. Should they do so O’Malley will be able to fill the vacancy with a choice of his choosing. Rumors about the replacement include former delegate Darrian Swain. Swain is an Assistant Vice President at Bowie State University.
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Delegate Tiffany Alston, who has been fighting a legal battle against charges she used campaign funds to pay for her wedding, was stripped of her bar license by the Maryland Court of Appeals today. In a ruling today the court upheld the ruling from a lower court that said Alston expedited “repeated lack of cooperation and the continual habit of lateness, non-responsiveness, and dilatory practices.” The ruling was in response to charges she faced for mismanagement of funds dealing with one of her clients. After a complaint Alston was ordered to pay that client $5,000, about half of what she was paid. According to court documents she has yet to do so.
Earlier this year Alston was found guilty of using money for her official office to pay a staff member working in her law firm. The judge in that case postponed sentencing until after her final trail on the campaign funding case. Following sentencing it is likely Alston will be removed from her seat in the House of Delegates she was elected to in 2010.
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When the gays attack, it might just be over for you in Democratic politics, or maybe not. It might be worth noticing that the platform of the Democratic National Convention does not call for gay marriage. In fact the 2008 platform doesn’t mention gay or lesbian couples at all. That might be in stark contrast to some liberals who profess that gay marriage is a key party principal.
This week the Maryland House of Delegates voted to advance gay marriage in a bill that after a brief stop in the Senate, and on the Governor’s desk, is destined for a public vote, possibly as soon as this November. With knowledge of these facts a few delegates, Aisha Braveboy and Tiffany Alston of Prince George’s, Sam Arora of Montgomery County and others, pushed to end the debate, pass the bill, but send it directly to a public ballot. NO, was the answer they got from the uncompromising liberal wing of the party that on far too much legislation, dominates Annapolis. That maybe the mistake they can’t overcome in just a few weeks.
“I just cannot understand why, if you know a matter is going to the ballot, we don’t just send it ourselves,” said a senior Democrat in the House of Delegates who voted no on final passage. “We knew that if we passed a slots package, it would likely go to the ballot, but we know that this bill will be sent to the voters and what we could do is stop the guessing game and do it ourselves.” That idea was outright rejected by house leaders and gay marriage supporters saying that just like civil rights of blacks, these rights should not be put up for a public vote. Problem is they will, we know they will, and adding that amendment to this bill would have likely boosted the number of Yea votes among representatives from the communities that will determine if the historic legislation stands the test of time, or is just a temporary celebration doomed for defeat.
Gay Marriage advocates play dangerous game of blacklisting
Delegate Sam Arora
Last year after the gay marriage legislation unsuspectingly went down on the floor of the House of Delegates, leaders in the movement reacted in the way that everyone expected. Equality Maryland, the leading gay rights group in the state at the time, was overruled on strategy by the national outside group the Human Rights Campaign. The decision to pull the bill from the floor before it went down in defeat caused so much drama at Equality Maryland that half of the Board of Directors resigned, the Executive Director was fired, and before the end of the year the entire organization was being reorganized. Leaders of the movement in the house such as Delegate Heather Mizeur and First Lady Katie O’Malley lashed out at black church leaders and delegates from Prince George’s County, and this year has been no different.
Once the vote count was clear supporters of gay marriage didn’t turn their attention to how they would defend the legislation from a public that appears split on the issue, they instead focused like a laser on defeating Delegate Sam Arora of Montgomery County as punishment for his nay vote. Arora, who is not up for reelection until 2014, two full years after the measure might meet defeat this November, is the only delegate from the county to vote against gay marriage. Arora’s sudden opposition to gay marriage does have to come as a shock to the more liberal (not necessarily progressive) Montgomery County but the backlash has many throughout the state thinking it only plays into the storyline about the out-of-control liberals who are much less interested in building consensus around social change than they are at forcing it on a population not ready or willing to accept it.
Clearly gay marriage is coming to America, the timing on when it and how it comes is the debate the people are having today. This generation, much unlike the generation of the civil rights movement, has many very democratic tools to stall this social change and like it or not, government officials should stop trying to prevent the usage of those tools. This sense of direct democracy is promoted by the Democratic Party on when they desire, like the recall of GOP governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin, but rejected on issues they hold close. It is time we all stop trying to have our cake and eat it too. This is a time for advocates on both sides, for gay marriage and against it, to reach out to voters throughout Maryland and make their case. Legislators cannot continue to ask for public input and involvement but reject it on the issues where the public might disagree with them.This is a matter for the ballot box.
That is our opinion, let us know what you think! Take our poll, add your comment below, facebook or tweet us.
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Delegate Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George's)
Last year black members of the Prince George’s County delegation took most of the blame for bringing down the same-sex marriage bill. This year, with a flip by two of those delegates, Tiffany Alston and Marvin Holmes, they split nearly evenly.
The 23 member delegation has 14 African-American members. Six of those members voted for the legislation.
Pena-Melynk, Gaines, Marvin Holmes, Tiffany Alston, Jolene Ivey, and Michael Summers. Delegate Veronica Turner was absent for the vote but had pledged her support before falling ill.
The other seven voted against the legislation.
Carolyn Howard, Michael Vaughn, Aisha Braveboy, Dereck Davis, Melony Griffith, Jay Walker, and James Proctor.
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Delegate Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George's)
Unconfirmed reports from the Office of House Speaker Michael Busch, backed up by key supporters of the same-sex marriage bill being debated on the floor, indicate Prince George’s County Delegate Tiffany Alston will vote to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. Alston made headlines last year after co-sponsoring the legislation only to switch her vote when she came under intense pressure from many of the large churches in her district.
Reaction to news their delegate may vote to allow same-sex marriage in Maryland has been mixed. One resident blasted Alston as being nothing more than “typical and a liar” after she was led to believe during a town hall meeting the 24th district team held earlier this year Alston would vote no. A minister at the mega-church First Baptist of Highland Park called Alston’s flip a serious mistake and reminded a group of other residents just last week that Alston had voted in committee against the bill. “We just can’t believe anything she says,” he went on to say.
With Alston’s vote in the bag, supporters are expected to have reached the number they need to pass the bill out of the House of Delegates, and send it to the Senate where it is expected to pass. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has pledged to sign the bill but supporters and oppentents expect it to be petitioned to the ballot in November.
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Delegate Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George's)
The Baltimore Sun has the following story on Delegate Tiffany Alston being charged with theft from the State of Maryland.
** Updated with Speaker Busch’s statement
Prince George’s County Del. Tiffany Alston was indicted this morning on charges that she arranged for the General Assembly to pay the salary of a employee in her private law practice.
Alston, a Prince George’s County lawmaker, is also facing charges that she misused her campaign fund by using political donations to buy a wedding dress.
The new charges were handed up this morning by an Anne Arundel County grand jury after an investigation by Maryland’s Office of the State Prosecutor. The prosecutors alleged that she had a $100-a-day clerk position added to her office payroll, which is funded by taxpayer dollars. The employee never worked in Annapolis, prosecutors say. Instead the individual was assigned to her law firm, authorities said. The prosecutors allege that $800 was stolen.
Alston denied any wrongdoing in the initial theft charges. (We are trying to get in touch with her on the latest ones, and will add her response.) Several lawmakers have said that she’s approached them to co-sponsor legislation auditing the state prosecutors office, which is charged with investigating lawmakers.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch Thursday requested that the Department of Legislative Services conduct biweekly “reviews” of Alston’s legislative account and “assume responsibility for verifying the time sheets of her legislative employees,” according to a statement from his office.
“While it is important to remember that Delegate Alston has not been convicted of a crime, I believe that the allegation of theft of state dollars warrants an immediate response to assure the public that legislative funds are being used appropriately by those who have been entrusted with them,” said Busch in a statement.
Other than the charges, Alston, a freshman delegate, is best known for an episode last session during the debate on same-sex marriage. She walked out of a House Judiciary Committee voting session on the bill and withdrew her support from the measure even though she initially co-sponsored it.
She, along with several other lawmakers, also walked out of a Legislative Black Caucus meeting in October. Their action denied the body the quorum needed to take a position on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed Congressional map.
District 24 Delegates present town hall (Tiffany Alston, Carolyn JB Howard, and Michael Vaughn)
When the Maryland General Assembly reconvenes next January a number of hot button issues are going to be on the table. In Prince George’s County this year a few delegations plan to return after getting ideas from their residents. That will begin with the delegates from the 24th legislative district.
Delegates Tiffany Alston, Carolyn JB Howard, and Michael Vaughn are hosting a town hall meeting on just a few of the hot button issues today at Charles Flowers High School from 6:30PM until 8:30PM. Issues expected to be discussed include a proposal to raise the gas tax, redistricting, and same-sex marriage.
Same sex marriage dominated the legislative session last year and was pulled from the floor after Delegate Alston changed her mind from supporting the legislation to opposing it under pressure from community leaders. Governor Martin O’Malley and other top democrats in the state have made passing the legislation a key priority this year while also understanding it will likely be put up for a vote in next year’s presidential election.
Side note: Notice that State Senator Benson who also represents the 24th district is not on the list of presenters or speakers.
So you want to go? The Town Hall will be held Thursday, November 10th starting at 6:30PM at Charles Herbert Flowers High School at 10001 Ardwick-Adrmore Road in Springdale, MD.
