![[photograph of Governor Parris N. Glendening]](/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/images/msa11536.jpg)
e-mail: governor@gov.state.md.us
fax: (410) 974-3275
TTY: (410) 333-3098
World Wide Web: http://www.gov.state.md.us
Parris N. Glendening, Governor of Maryland since 1995.
Member, Hyattsville City Council, 1973-74. Member, Prince George's County Council, 1974-82 (chair, 1979-81). County Executive, Prince George's County, 1982-94. Member, Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission, 1984-94; Advisory Commission on Federal-State-Local Relations, 1987-94. Board of Visitors, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland College Park. Chair, Southern Regional Education Board, 1995-96, 1996-97.
Born in Bronx, New York, June 11, 1942. Junior College of Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, A.A., 1962; Florida State University, B.A. (political science), 1964, M.A. (political science), 1965, Ph.D. (political science), 1967. Associate Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland College Park. Member, Taxation and Finance Steering Committee (1984-87) and Vice-Chair, Intergovernmental Relations Policy Steering Committee (1987-88) of National Association of Counties. President, Maryland Association of Counties, 1987-88. Trustee Council, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, 1988-. Past president, National Council of Elected County Executives. Member, Professional Ethics Committee, American Society for Public Administrators, 1989-90. Member, Professional Society Ethics Group, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Co-author, Controversies of State and Local Political Systems (1972), and Pragmatic Federalism (1984), a textbook used in over 400 colleges and universities. Recipient of annual award for distinguished contributions to the practice and study of government, Washington Chapter, American Political Science Association, 1985.
During his first four-year term, Governor Glendening has made historic advances in funding for education, bringing jobs to the State, and moving almost half the Marylanders on welfare into jobs. He also has made advances for Maryland's children and families by increasing the funds for making Maryland communities safer, ensuring our children are healthy and ready to learn when they begin school, providing health insurance to working families, and creating the most progressive Smart Growth initiative in the nation. Smart Growth will preserve the State's established communities as well as the forests, farmlands, and wetlands. The Governor also has worked with the legislature, environmental groups, and farmers to formulate the nation's first plan by a state to fight the toxic microbe, Pfiesteria.
Governor Glendening's unprecedented support for education serves as the centerpiece of his first term. Over four years, the Glendening Administration added more than one-half billion dollars to the State's public schools, more money than ever before in the history of the State. In Fiscal Year 1999, Governor Glendening increased education funding by almost ten percent as part of a budget that increased overall by less than six percent. Also included is a one-half-million dollar investment in programs geared especially for our most gifted and talented students. To make Maryland's public school libraries among the best in the nation, he worked with the legislature to pass a new $3 million partnership program. In addition, parents now will find it easier to save for their children's higher education through the State's new Prepaid-Tuition Savings Program.
Under Governor Glendening's tenure, the State has invested $630 million in building, modernizing, and repairing our public schools to reduce class size. This is more money in four years for school construction than was allocated in the eight years prior to his election.
Recognizing that a quality education system is a major incentive for business development, Governor Glendening made sure that public schools in Maryland are connected to the Internet, providing students and teachers access to the technology they need to compete in the next century. Additionally, he strongly encouraged and supported efforts to set statewide standards for school performance that have become a model for the nation.
To improve Maryland's business climate and promote job growth, Governor Glendening worked closely with the General Assembly to reduce or eliminate 15 separate taxes. This includes a cut in the personal income tax. These tax cuts will put $2.2 billion back into Maryland's economy and into the pockets of our citizens over the next five years, all while building reserves to $700 million. Moreover, Glendening's is the first four-year-term in 50 years without a tax increase.
To keep high technology skills in Maryland, Governor Glendening's scholarship program encourages the State's good students majoring in science, engineering, computers, or technology. It offers them one free year of tuition at any Maryland public college or university in exchange for one year of work in the State after graduation.
The Governor's initiatives to preserve agricultural land and reduce sprawling development have made Maryland a leader in environmental planning and management. His package of "Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation" uses the $16 billion State budget as incentives and disincentives and directs new development into areas with existing infrastructure. It also reduces the financial pressure on farmers to sell their land for development, and cleans up and redevelops abandoned or underused industrial sites. This nationally recognized legislation creates jobs and protects the environment while using limited taxpayer dollars.
Governor Glendening attended Florida State University, where he received a bachelor's degree (1964), a master's degree (1965), and a Ph.D. (1967) in political science, becoming the youngest student in FSU history to receive a doctorate. That same year, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland at College Park, where he taught for 27 years, until his election as Governor. His textbooks on government and politics have been used in more than 400 colleges, and he has earned a national reputation for his expertise in government finance.
The Governor began public service in 1973 as a City Councilman in Hyattsville. He was elected to the Prince George's County Council in 1974 and twice served as Council Chair. In 1982, he was elected County Executive of Prince George's County and is the only County Executive in Maryland history to serve three terms (1982-1994).
Innovative education initiatives, enhanced public safety programs, and an extensive citizen involvement program led Prince George's County to its national recognition in 1986 as the "All America County" by the National Civic League. His leadership, innovation, and effectiveness also were recognized by City and State magazine, which in 1990 named him the "Most Valuable County Official" in the nation.
Governor Glendening chairs the Southern Regional Education Board and is a member of the National Governor's Association, the Democratic Governors Association and the Southern Governor's Association. In 1996, he received the Nathan Davis Award for outstanding Governor from the American Medical Association. From the American Society for Public Administration, he also was given the Donald T. Stone Award. Among other recognitions Governor Glendening has received, the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington honored him with the Breslau-Goldman Award for his dedication to social justice; the Maryland State Teachers Association presented him with the Friend of Education Award; and Handgun Control, Inc., with Sarah and James Brady recognized the Governor for his work supporting the Maryland Gun Violence Act of 1996 - landmark legislation that serves as a model for the nation. The National Trust for Historic Preservation also recognized him for his outstanding leadership, through the Smart Growth Program, in preserving Maryland's historic communities and countryside for future generations.
The Governor's other memberships include the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, the Economic Development and Commerce Committee of the National Governors Association, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, and the Board of Trustees of Partners for Livable Places.
The Governor and his wife Frances Anne, an attorney with the Federal Elections Commission, maintain their home in University Park while spending much time in Annapolis. Their son, Raymond, will start his sophomore year in college this fall.
© Copyright July 06, 1998 Maryland State Archives