By Melissa Baltimore
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Maryland State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D) announced earlier this week that she plans to retire at the end of this year or early 2022 due to health concerns and an interest in more leisure after serving the state for 50 years.
Kopp, 77, has served as treasurer since 2002. Prior to her appointment by the General Assembly, she established a coveted career on the three-person Board of Public Works, was the first woman to serve on the House appropriations committee and the first state legislator to give birth while in office.
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) congratulated Kopp for her extensive public service in a statement released on Tuesday.
“I want to thank her for a tremendous career as Maryland state treasurer and for her extensive public service for the past five decades,” Ferguson said in a press statement. “As treasurer, she is a steward of the state’s financial position and has helped ensure Maryland’s fiscal health, navigating multiple crises, including a recession and global pandemic,” Ferguson said.
Gov. Larry Hogan also congratulated Kopp in a press release on Tuesday.
“With the second-longest tenure of any treasurer in state history, Nancy will leave an incredible legacy of strong financial stewardship, which has helped assure our coveted AAA bond rating year after year,” Hogan said in the press statement. “On behalf of all Marylanders, I want to express my profound gratitude to Nancy Kopp for her decades of distinguished service and wish her well in retirement.”
Upon Kopp’s retirement, the Maryland Legislature is required by law to appoint a committee to review candidates to fill the seat of treasurer.
According to Maryland Matters, Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George’s County) is the rumored favored choice among the Maryland House of Delegates, which has a 3-to-1 vote advantage over the Senate. The Maryland General Assembly will likely decide during the proposed special legislative session set for early December, Maryland Matters reported.