Will Giammo leave Rockville for O’Malley?

Mayor, others say it is too soon to discuss possible appointments

Friday, Nov. 17, 2006

by Warren Parish

Staff Writer

Speculation has intensified since last week’s general election about whether Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo, a key supporter of Gov.-elect Martin O’Malley, will land a spot in the new administration.

While Giammo and members of the O’Malley camp say it is premature to discuss possible appointments, local supporters and opponents of the mayor are not shying away from the topic.

‘‘You’d have to be an idiot not to at least think it’s possible somebody that talented, who extended himself for the campaign, would not be identified for an important position,” Giammo supporter and former Rockville City Councilman John F. Hall Jr. said.

On the other side, rumors of Giammo’s possible departure are pleasing to many opponents, Chamber of Commerce President Joy E. Young said.

‘‘Everybody expects O’Malley to offer him something,” she said. ‘‘There have been smiles from everybody in all areas of the city.”

Giammo came out early in support of O’Malley, endorsing the mayor of Baltimore in February while the local candidate, County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, was still in the running.

Despite being criticized for breaking with Rockville’s non-partisan tradition by publicly campaigning for O’Malley, Giammo helped form the Democrat’s Montgomery County campaign steering committee, handed out campaign literature at Metro stops and spoke regularly with the candidate and top members of his staff.

The campaign served to reinforce a political relationship that began when Giammo toured Baltimore municipal operations in 2002. By 2005, the relationship had matured to the point where he was interviewed for the job of O’Malley’s running mate in the gubernatorial race.

During the past campaign season, O’Malley would often end campaign stops in Rockville by discussing issues with Giammo over dinner.

‘‘His support early on was instrumental in helping the O’Malley camp get a strong foothold in Montgomery County,” O’Malley campaign spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said.

Giammo has maintained that his support for O’Malley was not offered with personal gain in mind.

‘‘There are those who think there’s payback expected and that’s just not the case,” he said in an interview last week.

Giammo has frequently said a good relationship with the governor would be good for Rockville in general.

When asked if he would accept a state-level appointment, the mayor left the door open, saying he is ‘‘open to possibilities,” especially if the job dealt with economic growth or transportation.

That might be in the offing, said William F. Askinazi, a Republican who served as the state assistant secretary for Business and Economic Development (DBED) until January.

‘‘I heard Giammo is definitely under consideration for the DBED secretary position,” he said, citing a high-ranking source within the state Democratic Party.

O’Malley is not the first governor to be courted by Giammo. A registered independent who voted for Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. in 2002, Giammo was cozy enough with the Republican governor to accompany him on an economic development tour to China in 2004.

But a series of policy disappointments, punctuated by the time Ehrlich described multiculturalism as bunk, Giammo said, pushed him away from the governor.

‘‘It demonstrated to me a complete lack of appreciation for places like Rockville, where one-third of the population is foreign born,” Giammo said.

Since then, Giammo has realigned his personal politics squarely in the O’Malley camp.