ANNAPOLIS — Democrat Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., announced yesterday that he will step down as president of the Maryland Senate, ending a 32-year reign that made him the longest serving legislative leader in American history.
The announcement was made during a Thursday afternoon press conference in which Miller said he will remain a member of the Maryland Senate representing the 27th legislative district.
The Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus quickly announced that it had unanimously selected 36-year-old Sen. Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, as its nominee to replace Miller.
While the president is not officially chosen until the full 47-member Senate votes at the beginning of the 2020 legislative session in January, Ferguson is all but assured in a chamber in which the Democrats hold a 32-15 majority.
“I have been blessed to have the life and opportunities I have had, and the opportunity to work with hundreds of wonderful members of the Senate in my time as President,” Miller said. “Serving the residents of the 27th district is a privilege, and serving my colleagues as Senate president has been the honor of a lifetime. I am grateful to my colleagues past and present for the faith they placed in me, and I am grateful to my family and friends for their support and sacrifices along the way.”
“I have done my best to make the Senate inclusive, collegial and productive, and to remind my colleagues that they swore an oath to the State of Maryland, not to a party or parochial interest,” Miller added.
Miller said the biggest priority for the state legislature next year will be to implement the recommendations of the so-called Kirwan Commission, which called for higher teacher salaries, better teacher training, universal pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds, full-day education for 3-year-olds from low-income families and several other measures to improve education in Maryland.
Miller said he was disappointed that the Maryland school system was no longer considered one of the top ten systems in the country and that he would work to remedy that situation.
Miller has been credited with diversifying the leadership of the Senate. He was the first senate president to appoint a woman and an African American as chairs of standing committees. He also appointed the first African-American in Maryland history as majority leader when he chose Sen. Clarence Blount for that post in 1983.
Miller has also been credited with creating the Chesapeake Conservation Corps., the construction of Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium and FedEx Field, the expansion of K-12 aid throughout the state, and leading the effort to deregulate Maryland’s electric utilities.
He also fought to keep higher education affordable, including capping tuition increases, and finding increased funding for higher education.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski praised Miller as a person of “colorful wit” whose presence in the Capitol would be missed.
“President Miller’s legacy cannot be overstated,” Olszewski said in a statement. “He has led the Senate ably for decades, influencing every major law coming out of Annapolis during his tenure. His passion for Maryland, his skillful leadership and his colorful wit are familiar to all who walked the halls of the Statehouse in this generation.”
Olszewski said he was confident that Ferguson would provide a clear vision for the state, adding that he was looking forward to working with him.
Ferguson has been a member of the state Senate since 2010, and most recently served as vice chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
The Baltimore Democrat was also chairman of the Marijuana Legalization Workgroup and the Senate Executive Nominations Committee.
–Baltimore Watchdog Staff