Governor Larry Hogan in 2018 with then-Senate President Mike Miller and then-Speaker of the House Mike Busch. Together, the two Mikes led Maryland’s legislature for nearly two decades. Photo courtesy Office of Governor Larry Hogan.
Expect the Unexpected
New Leaders in Annapolis
HOW A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN MARYLAND’S CAPITAL IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT STATE POLICY AND ECONOMICS By Anirban Basu 74
What’s Up? Annapolis | February 2020 | whatsupmag.com
Prior to his recent retirement, Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (Democrat) was the longest-serving Senate president in America. He had been a state senator representing the 27th District since 1975 and served as President since January 1987 (about 33 years). That also means he served as the longest Senate President in Maryland history. In the Maryland’s other legislative body, Michael Busch, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, ultimately became the longest-serving House Speaker in state history. He was sworn in as Speaker in January 2003.
For the better part of two decades, the two “Mikes” led Maryland’s legislature, wrestling with numerous issues ranging from equitable funding for schools to infrastructure and the fiscal challenges created by the Great Recession. But change is in the air. In late-October 2019, Democrats in Maryland’s upper chamber unanimously elected Bill Ferguson as the next President of Maryland’s Senate. While Mike Miller is in his 70s, Bill Ferguson is in his 30s. Still earlier in the year, Democrats in the state’s lower chamber elected Adrienne Jones as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates after the passing of Busch. Combined, the
