Gov.-elect Martin O?Malley on Thursday announced a new transition team whose members will inevitably shake up both city and state government.
In a high-profile move, O?Malley picked former U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume as one of 40 members slated to become part of the new team.
As for Mfume having any interest in running for mayor in Baltimore, “no, no, no,” he said at the news conference.
Mfume, who lost in the Democratic primary for U.S. senator, jokingly introduced himself as “United States senator” before saying “wrong press conference.”
O?Malley selected longtime friend and current First Deputy Mayor Michael Enright as chief of staff.
“There?s really no one else who could have done what Michael has done for our city these last seven years. He has been absolutely tireless,” O?Malley said.
“He?s been instrumental in transforming our government into an open and transparent performance-measured entity.”
The principal architect of O?Malley?s CitiStat program, Enright said he was honored by the selection.
“It?s truly a humbling and honoring experience to be asked to serve in this role,” he said. “I pledge to give it all my best.”
Before his seven years as deputy mayor, Enright was a legislative director for U.S Congressman Benjamin Cardin, an executive assistant for Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. and a newspaper reporter.
O?Malley?s transition team includes: Former Maryland Attorney General Stephen Sachs, Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman, former state teachers? union president Pat Foerster, and formerPublic Service Commission Chairman Frank Heintz.
O?Malley added that he did not anticipate engaging in a major “brain drain” from Baltimore and its new mayor-designee Sheila Dixon because the city is packed with talent.
“Council President Dixon would very much like to see continuity,” O?Malley said. “People should rest assured that after seven years we really do have a lot of quality supervisors throughout our city government.”
