Brooke Lierman | |
---|---|
34th Comptroller of Maryland | |
Assumed office January 16, 2023 | |
Governor | Larry Hogan Wes Moore |
Preceded by | Peter Franchot |
Member of the MarylandHouseofDelegates from the 46th district | |
In office January 14,2015 –January 11,2023 | |
Preceded by | Brian K. McHale |
Succeeded by | Mark Edelson |
Personal details | |
Born | Washington,D.C.,U.S. | February 14,1979
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Eben Hansel (m. 2009) |
Children | 2 |
Education | Dartmouth College (BA) University of Texas at Austin (JD) |
Signature | |
Brooke Elizabeth Lierman (born February 14, 1979) is an American civil rights attorney and politician who is the 34th Comptroller of Maryland. She was first elected in 2022, becoming the first female Comptroller of the state and the first woman elected to an independent state government office in Maryland. [1] A member of the Democratic Party, Lierman was previously a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 46 in Baltimore. [2]
Lierman was born in Washington, D.C., on February 14, 1979, [2] to father Terry Lierman, who served as the chair of the Maryland Democratic Party from 2004 to 2007. [3] She graduated from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1997. [4] [5] Lierman attended Dartmouth College, where she earned an A.B. degree in history in 2001. She later attended the University of Texas School of Law, where she earned a J.D. degree and graduated cum laude in 2008. [2] Between college and law schools, Lierman was an AmeriCorps VISTA member at The DREAM Program in Vermont, working with children living in public housing developments. [6]
Lierman is a counsel for the Baltimore civil rights firm Brown, Goldstein, & Levy LLP, where she handles a variety of civil rights and disability rights cases. [7] [8] She is also a trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art [9] and on the board of Advocates for Children and Youth and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. [10]
Lierman first got involved in politics by working on the 2002 campaign of U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, and on the presidential campaign of Howard Dean and John Kerry. Prior to going to law school, Lierman worked at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. While at law school, Lierman was President of the American Constitution Society and worked as a policy advisor to Texas state senator Rodney Ellis. Lierman clerked for Judge Benson Everett Legg and Judge Deborah K. Chasanow, both Chief Judges of the federal District Court of Maryland, from 2009 to 2010. [6]
In July 2013, Lierman announced her candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 46. [11] She won the Democratic primary, receiving 28.1 percent of the vote and filling the seat left by retiring Delegate Brian K. McHale. [12]
Lierman was sworn in as a member of the House of Delegates on January 14, 2015. She was a member of the Appropriations Committee from 2015 to 2019, afterwards serving on the Environment and Transportation Committee until 2023. She was also a member of the Women Legislators of Maryland and a co-chair of the Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus. [2]
In 2016, Lierman filed to run as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, representing Hillary Clinton. She received 14.5 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election, coming in third in a field of nine candidates. [13] Shortly after the election of President Donald Trump in November 2016, Lierman organized Baltimore Women United, a coalition of female volunteers and activists. [14] During the 2020 United States presidential election, she co-founded and co-chaired the Maryland Women for Biden organization. [15]
In August 2018, Lierman organized a protest against the opening of a campaign office for Larry Hogan in Baltimore City, highlighting his opposition of the Red Line and handling of the State Center station redevelopment project. [16] [17]
In August 2020, Maryland Matters reported that Lierman had been aggressively contacting party activists and influencers about a potential run for Comptroller. [18] On December 17, 2020, Lierman announced her candidacy for Comptroller of Maryland in the 2022 election, which was being vacated by Peter Franchot, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Maryland. [19] She received endorsements from various elected officials across the state, including U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin [20] and Steny Hoyer, [21] President of the Maryland Senate Bill Ferguson, [22] Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne A. Jones, [23] Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, [24] and former U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski. [25]
Lierman defeated Bowie mayor Tim Adams in the Democratic primary election on July 19, 2022, receiving 66.2 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, winning with the highest margin of victory of the highly contested statewide Democratic primaries. [26] She defeated Harford County executive Barry Glassman in the general election on November 8, 2022, [1] becoming the first woman to serve as Maryland comptroller [27] [28] [29] and the first woman elected by voters to an independent state government office in Maryland. [30]
Lierman was sworn in on January 16, 2023. [31] [32]
In February 2023, Lierman released a list of legislative priorities for the 2023 legislative session, including creating a chief information officer position to promote modernizing technology in the comptroller's office, increasing transparency and access to the agency, and increasing state contracts offered to diverse businesses. [33] [34] During the 2023 legislative session, legislators passed bills supporting these priorities, including a bill to create a new Taxpayer Advocate Division for the comptroller. [35] [36]
Lierman was an at-large delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Kamala Harris. [37] During the 2024 presidential election, she canvassed for Harris in Pennsylvania. [38]
In October 2024, Lierman and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller presided over the Maryland Board of Public Works, marking the first time in Maryland history in which only women presided over the meeting. [39]
In January 2019, Lierman was one of nine Maryland lawmakers to add their names to a manifesto signed by 326 state legislators to reaffirm their commitment to protecting abortion rights. [40]
In March 2022, Lierman spoke in support of legislation that would enshrine the right to abortion in the Maryland State Constitution, recounting being raped while in college and worrying over the thought of what she might do if she became pregnant as a result. [41]
Lierman supports increasing funding for Baltimore City schools and universal pre-K. [42]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2017 legislative session that would ban pre-K suspensions and expulsions. [43] The bill passed and became law on May 27, 2017. [44]
During the 2019 legislative session, Lierman voted in favor of a bill that would give school districts the right to decide when classes begin and end each year. The bill passed but was vetoed by Governor Hogan. Lierman voted in favor of overriding the gubernatorial veto. [45]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would allow ranked choice voting in city elections, as well as open primaries. [46] She later withdrew the bill after talking with her colleagues in the Baltimore House Delegation. [47]
In September 2017, Lierman was one of 10 lawmakers to receive a score of 100 percent on the Maryland League of Conservation Voters' annual legislative scorecard. [48] She received the same score in the organization's 2019 scorecard. [49]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would ban all polystyrene products in Maryland. [50] The bill passed and became law without Governor Hogan's signature on May 28, 2019. [51] [52] [53] The bill was slated to go into effect in July 2020, but its deadline was extended to October amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [54]
Lierman introduced "The Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act", a bill that would ban the sale of plastic bags and require stores to charge a minimum of 10 cents for paper bags, during the 2020 legislative session. [55] [56] The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 95-37, but was placed on hold amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [57] The bill was reintroduced in the 2021 legislative session. [58]
Lierman introduced legislation during the 2022 legislative session that would require the Maryland State Retirement and Pensions System to consider climate change as a financial factor when making investment decisions. [59] [60]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would allow student athletes at public universities to engage in collective bargaining. [61]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would give college athletes the right to profit off their names and likenesses. [62]
In February 2022, Lierman attended a rally encouraging Maryland legislators to pass a bill that would offer paid family leave to all Marylanders. [63] She voted in favor of the Time to Care Act, which provides up to 24 weeks of paid leave per year. [64] [65]
Lierman supports the legalization of recreational marijuana and says that regulation of the industry should fall under the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. [66]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2018 legislative session that would make it illegal for police officers to have sex with people in custody. The bill passed and became law. [67] [68]
Lierman cosponsored legislation introduced during the 2020 legislative session that would research providing reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans. [69]
Lierman introduced legislation during the 2022 legislative session that would require strip clubs and bars on The Block in downtown Baltimore to close by 10 P.M. [70] The legislation was protested by businesses owners, who said that the bill would cripple their livelihoods. [71] [72] The bill was modified to require business owners to record and share videos of activity on The Block, deploy off-duty police officers at peak hours, and incorporate security plans on February 18, 2022, after the group of legislators behind the bill reached a compromise with the owners of clubs on The Block. [73] [74]
Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lierman introduced legislation that would divest Maryland's retirement and pensions systems from Russia. [75] [76]
Lierman supports the Baltimore Red Line [42] and organized a protest against the opening of Larry Hogan's campaign office in Baltimore in 2018 over his position on the Red Line and State Center redevelopment project. [16]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would give counties the ability to prohibit the construction of toll roads, highways, or bridges without the consent of a majority of the affected counties. [77] She reintroduced this legislation in 2020. [78] Lierman also introduced a bill that would boost funding for statewide bicycle infrastructure. [79] The bill passed but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 24, 2019. [80]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2020 legislative session that would increase funding for bus and subway maintenance. The bill passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 95–36. [81]
Lierman introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would increase funding for the state's bus and rail budget by $757 million. [82] The bill passed but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 28, 2021. [83] The Maryland General Assembly voted to override the gubernatorial veto during its special legislative session in December 2021. [84]
Lierman is married to Eben Hansel, a real estate attorney who she had met while they were both students at Dartmouth College. The couple married on September 19, 2009. [85] [86] Together, they have two children and live in Fell's Point, Baltimore. [2] [42] She is Catholic. [87]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brooke Lierman | 6,014 | 28.1 | |
Democratic | Peter Hammen | 5,400 | 25.2 | |
Democratic | Luke Clippinger | 5,123 | 23.9 | |
Democratic | Bill Romani | 3,139 | 14.7 | |
Democratic | Liam F. Davis | 1,745 | 8.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brooke Lierman | 13,889 | 24.6 | |
Democratic | Peter Hammen | 13,217 | 23.4 | |
Democratic | Luke Clippinger | 12,680 | 22.5 | |
Republican | Roger Bedingfield | 6,113 | 10.8 | |
Republican | Joseph Sedtal | 5,275 | 9.4 | |
Republican | Duane Shelton | 5,115 | 9.1 | |
Write-in | 117 | 0.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Shelly Hettleman (Clinton) | 61,827 | 14.8 | |
Democratic | Lee Finney (Clinton) | 60,602 | 14.5 | |
Democratic | Brooke Lierman (Clinton) | 60,414 | 14.5 | |
Democratic | Lynn Morrison Venetoulis (Clinton) | 58,131 | 13.9 | |
Democratic | Barbara Friedland (Sanders) | 45,299 | 10.9 | |
Democratic | Joan Taylor (Sanders) | 40,821 | 9.8 | |
Democratic | Mirah Derora Ippolito (Sanders) | 39,387 | 9.4 | |
Democratic | Donna Plamondon (Sanders) | 38,511 | 9.2 | |
Democratic | Cheryl Ann Menke (Uncommitted) | 12,223 | 2.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brooke Lierman | 23,711 | 28.6 | |
Democratic | Luke Clippinger | 23,023 | 27.8 | |
Democratic | Robbyn Lewis | 22,582 | 27.3 | |
Republican | Jeremy Baron | 6,879 | 8.3 | |
Republican | Nicholas Wentworth | 6,324 | 7.6 | |
Write-in | 289 | 0.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brooke Lierman | 422,815 | 66.2 | |
Democratic | Tim Adams | 215,564 | 33.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brooke Lierman | 1,223,044 | 61.56 | −10.51 | |
Republican | Barry Glassman | 761,422 | 38.33 | +10.54 | |
Write-in | 2,244 | 0.11 | -0.03 | ||
Total votes | 1,986,710 | 100.0 | |||
Democratic hold |
Katherine A. Klausmeier is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing the 8th district since 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate from 2019 to 2020 and represented the same district earlier in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003. Klausmeier is the longest serving current member of the Maryland Senate.
Peter Van Rensselaer Franchot is an American politician who was the 33rd comptroller of Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, Franchot served for 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates representing Takoma Park and Silver Spring. He was elected comptroller in 2006, and was subsequently re-elected three times. Franchot unsuccessfully ran for governor of Maryland in 2022, placing third in the Democratic primary behind Tom Perez and Wes Moore.
Bryan Warner Simonaire is an American politician who serves as a Maryland state senator representing District 31, which encompasses much of northern Anne Arundel County's Baltimore suburbs. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the minority leader of the Maryland Senate from 2020 to 2023.
Adrienne Alease Jones is an American politician who has served as the 107th Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first African-American and first woman to serve in that position in Maryland. She has represented District 10 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 1997.
Guy Joseph Guzzone is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 13 since 2015, and as its majority leader from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015, and as a member of the Howard County Council from 1998 to 2006.
Benjamin F. Kramer is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 19 since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Kramer previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007 to 2019.
Cheryl C. Kagan is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 17 since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2003.
Craig Jason Zucker is an American politician who has represented District 14 in the Maryland Senate since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2016.
William Colonel Smith Jr. is an American politician who is a member of the Maryland Senate representing District 20 since 2016. He previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2016.
Robbyn T. Lewis is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing the 46th district since 2017.
Pamela E. Queen is an American politician who serves as a Delegate to the Maryland House of Delegates representing Maryland's 14th Legislative District in northern Montgomery County.
Christopher T. Adams is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 37B, since 2015.
Vaughn Morton Stewart III is an American attorney and politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 19 in Montgomery County since 2019.
Robert Julian Ivey is an American politician serving as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 47A in Prince George's County.
Lauren Arikan is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019. She previously represented the 7th district from 2019 to 2023, afterwards being redrawn into district 7B.
Regina T. Boyce is an American politician who currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates. Delegate Boyce is a Democrat who represents the 43rd Legislative District of the state of Maryland.
Nicole Annette Williams is an American attorney and politician serving as a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 22, which represents a portion of Prince George's County, Maryland.
Mary Angela Lehman is an American politician from the Democratic Party and is a current member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 21.
The 2022 Maryland Comptroller election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the next Comptroller of Maryland. Incumbent Democratic Comptroller Peter Franchot declined to run for a fifth term and instead ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Maryland.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Maryland on November 8, 2022. All of Maryland's executive officers were up for election as well as all of Maryland's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, one of its U.S. senators, and the state legislature. Primaries were held on July 19, 2022. Polls were open from 7 AM to 8 PM EST.