District Court Judge Catherine “Katie” Curran O?Malley has a busy life at home and on the bench, but none of it includes campaigning in her husband?s race for governor. Judges are not allowed to politic for other candidates. The Examiner recently sat down with her to talk about herjob and her family.
Q Gov. Ehrlich has his wife out with him all the time, yet Martin O?Malley has a “Women for O?Malley” rally, and he has to explain why you?re not there.
A Right, and then you?ve got those two beautiful daughters that get to be the O?Malley family members as well as his sisters from Montgomery County, so there are plenty of family women for O?Malley. I feel guilty sometimes because they?ll call me from a rally or from an event that they?ve gone to, asking me to attend, and I can?t attend. And they?ll tell me all these great things that they?re doing and how hard they?re working, and I feel awful, because I?m at home, doing a million things, because I?ve got four kids. I just sometimes feel that I?m unable to go out there and work as hard as everyone else. So I do everything else I can to make things at the house flow, and I do some things with Martin that are not political but community events. I don?t wear an O?Malley button, but I think everyone knows where my heart is.
Q You?re a judge, you have four kids, your husband is the mayor. Is it just like any other working mom?
A I?m sure it is in many ways because there are many working women who have husbands with demanding jobs, and they both have busy schedules and you just have to find a way to make it work. We split up a lot of different things like he takes the kids to school, my mom picks them up, I pick them up from my mom?s, so we have it worked out nicely so the kids aren?t driven around by drivers, we?re actually getting them and taking them places, their family is chipping in as much as possible when our busy schedules conflict with that.
Q What was it like to grow up in a political household as you did? Your father [Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr.] has been in politics since you were born.
A I didn?t consider it growing up in a political household. I considered it growing up in a loving household with the two most loveable parents any kid could want.
Q What?s your impression of crime and prosecution as you see it in your court?
A I get about 50 cases a day, basically as a result of drugs and drug addiction. We need more programs and procedures to get these people off these drugs and lower the demand.
Q A lot of what you see is related to drugs.
A I?d say about 60 percent. Attempted distributions, selling. Even the attempts, it?s mostly addicts who are selling to pay for their drugs. Because the big dealers don?t want to be on the streets selling because they don?t want to get caught, so these smaller guys, the addicts, get sent out to do the dirty work, and get caught doing it. It?s very sad.
Q What would you like people to know about Martin O?Malley?
A I like to tell people that he?s a sincere, honest, hardworking person. The job of mayor has been such a hard job, one of the most challenging jobs because the portion of Maryland that he represents are generally some of the poorest people in the state, so there are so many issues that face poverty and drug addiction, the school system, which has been plaguing kids here for about 30 to 40 years now.
In his lifetime, will the city of Baltimore be fixed? Maybe not. Hopefully, though, by the time our kids grow up, and they have their kids, there will be a foundation for getting things to a point where the homicide level has decreased, the school system has become a better, more functioning place to go to school.
As a prosecutor in Baltimore County, I would hear over and over again: “Why do you live in the city? It?s so awful, why would your husband ever want to be the mayor of Baltimore City?” There are just all these people who think that this great place may as well have gates around the city to keep everyone in. I?ve actually had people say that to me. It?s such an ignorant statement, because this is such a great city, I?ve lived here all my life. The city produces a lot of really good things for the state. But Martin says you know, I want to take on this challenge, I don?t want that simple, cozy political job somewhere where school systems work and everyone makes tons of money. No, he took on one of the toughest jurisdictions in the state of Maryland, and he?s making a difference. Every day. Comes home exhausted every day. If a police officer is hurt, or shot, or God forbid, killed, he?s always right down there with them at Shock Trauma, 5 in the morning, 3 in the morning.
Q With your children, how do you deal with criticism of the mayor? Do they ever come home with stories?
A We don?t really have to deal with it very much, other than that constant rumor being spread around by Mr. Steffen. [Joseph Steffen was a mid-level aide fired by Gov. Robert Ehrlich for spreading rumors about the O?Malleys? marriage.] We couldn?t go anywhere without the kids hearing something or me hearing something myself. It was affecting us a lot. I?d get about three or four calls a week, of people saying they heard this and that or the other thing.
Finally when the story broke, and Mr. Steffen said that he was forcing people to make the story float a little more, it was such a relief. I was very angry about it. If I ever get a chance to meet Mr. Steffen, he?ll hear from me. He?s no big man, he?s just a coward. But that has stopped now, I don?t hear it anymore. We know what the truth is. Our kids know what the truth is. A lot of people say things, I believe for political reasons, they push things simply because it?s the cheapest game in town.
Q How do you expect your life to change if the mayor gets elected?
A On November 8, if he wins, I?ll start making plans for his new job, and if he doesn?t win, we?ll keep doing what we?re doing. Keep living our lives. Fortunately, everyone is healthy. We got a new puppy. He?s really cute, only 20 pounds.
Catherine Curran O’Malley
» Age: 44, born Aug. 18, 1962, Baltimore
» Education: Notre Dame Prep, B.S. (International Relations) Towson University, J.D. University of Baltimore Law School, 1991.
» Family: husband: Martin O’Malley; Father: Attorney General Joseph Curran; daughters, Grace, 14, and Tara, 13; sons, William, 7, and Jack, 2. (All but Jack attend Catholic schools, as did their parents.)
» Career: District court judge, Baltimore since 2001; assistant state’s attorney (prosecutor), Baltimore County, 1991-2001; securities dealer, Allfirst Bank
» Dream Job: Baltimore City state?s attorney
