Del. Anthony Brown has been Mayor Martin O?Malley?s running mate for lieutenant governor since December, months before The Examiner hit the streets of Baltimore. Brown is the only member of the Maryland General Assembly who served in Iraq.
Q Where did you expect to be at this point in your life?
A My life plan was to be involved in public service in one form or another. It?s really the result of the example I saw my father set as a medical doctor serving in some of the poorest hospitals in New York state and some of the most underserved communities. I thought about things at the Peace Corps, I even thought about doing some missionary work down in South America.
Q That?s a bit of an unusual choice for a Harvard undergrad.
A It?s certainly not a popular path for Harvard graduates, that?s for sure. Also, I didn?t have a history of military service in my family, but I viewed it as just a way to serve the public and do it in uniform. It was a way to spend my immediate years after college in an exciting activity. I flew helicopters for five years in Germany, patrolling the East-West German border, and that was pretty exciting.
Q You recently spent a year in Iraq as a lieutenant colonel in civil affairs. What do you think about Iraq at this point?
A Troubled. Very troubled. Not optimistic on the short-term. I think that there?s failed leadership on the part of the White House. I don?t believe that the resources we?ve committed are going to lead to peace or stability any time soon.
Q Do you have an opinion about withdrawing our troops?
A We ought to have an immediate reduction in troop strength. I don?t know the appropriate level, but it serves the purpose of signaling to the Iraqi government that we really mean business when we say, “You have to take charge of your security and your future.”
Q Last year, you looked at running for attorney general. Are you disappointed that you?re running for lieutenant governor now?
A Absolutely not. I am very excited about the opportunity to run as Martin O?Malley?s running mate. We have a real opportunity here to get Maryland back on the right track. As I have campaigned with Martin for the last eight months, it?s become evident to me that there?s a sense that Maryland, while it?s doing well, it could be doing much better, and Maryland right now, because of failed leadership in Annapolis, is not on the right track.
Q What will your role be as a lieutenant governor?
A In an O?Malley-Brown administration, we?ve agreed that I?ll take a lead in certain areas such as health care, economic development and higher education. I?ll play a significant role in homeland security. It?ll be a true partnership.
Q One of the roles of a running mate is sort of the attack dog. Do you see yourself in that role?
A On the campaign trail I certainly have been critical of the Ehrlich administration. I think that in the past four years the Ehrlich administration has demonstrated an unwillingness to work on the behalf of Maryland working families, and I?ve pointed that out at every opportunity I can.
This governor has a really poor record of supporting Maryland working families and time and time again siding with the large corporate interests. So sure, I?m running on his shoddy record as a public servant.
Q One of the key components of the campaign is education and schools. The mayor represents Baltimore, you?re a delegate from Prince George?s County. Both school systems have significant troubles. Can that be pinned on the governor?
A The approach to the question shouldn?t be who you pin it on. The question is what do we need to do to get it right, and who should participate. The numbers demonstrate that there has been progress made in Baltimore City public schools. But what is lacking is a real partnership between state government and local government in making even more improvements.
Q How much influence does any governor have about what goes on in classrooms?
A Where the governor has significant influence is in dedicating the resources and setting the tone. In dedicating the resources the governor has left Maryland in a $300 million deficit in the new school construction program.
Q Hasn?t he spent more on school construction than any previous governor?
A Well, you can analyze that data. On the operating budget side, he?s campaigning now as an education governor, but he is only funding education at the level that the legislature requires that the
governor do by law.
Q As a Catholic, how has the bishops? position on stem cell research influenced you? Do you feel that the bishops have a role in discussing that with politicians?
A I?m not going to speak to the appropriateness of the bishops? role, but as I make my decisions on public policy, I have an open mind to every view that is weighing in on the issue. Whether it?s my church or other faiths and beliefs, those that have an interest in the issue for whatever reason. I?m always going to approach a public policy issue with very much of an open mind, listening to the divergent views.
Q Would you describe yourself as pro-choice and in favor of stem cell research?
A I am pro-choice, and a big proponent of stem cells. I really wish that the legislature would have appropriated $25 million instead of $15 million.
Q Would you agree with Lt. Gov. Steele that the Democratic Party in general has not been promoting black candidates as the party should, based on its reliance on black votes?
A I share the concerns of African-Americans that the Democratic Party has never fielded a statewide African-American candidate. But 2006 is a big year. There are many qualified, competent and hard-charging African American campaigners ? Kweisi Mfume, Stu Simms, Anthony Brown. I think we?re going to see a change in the Democratic Party in terms of representation in the highest offices of the state.
Q Is there anything else that you?d like people to know about you?
A When I am out on the campaign trail, I?m always introduced with this whole litany of Harvard, Harvard, Army, Iraq. But I?m a person who is defined greatly by my family, my wife and two wonderful children. They are the foundation of what I do and inspire me as such. It?s through my children that I have hope for the future, that I really experience the ups and downs of life, and that I really celebrate my aspirations for doing good on behalf of other people.
Anthony Brown
Born in Huntington, N.Y., Nov. 21, 1961
» School: Harvard College, ?84; Army flight school, Fort Rucker, Ala.; Harvard Law School, ?92
» Career: U.S. Army helicopter pilot; lawyer, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, D.C., 1994-98; Gibbs & Haller, 1998-present (real estate law); elected to House of Delegates, 1998; majority whip, 2004
» Family: Wife, Patricia (met in law school); children, Rebecca, 11; Jonathan, 6
» Last book read: “John Adams” by David McCullough and other presidential biographies
» Favorite restaurant: Wherever my kids can go and not make a real mess of things
