Doug Duncan Resigns From University of Maryland

[UDPATED; see below.]>

Tomorrow’s Washington Times tells us that former Montgomery County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Douglas M. Duncan is resigning from his position at the University of Maryland and is expected to join a local consulting firm. He had been vice president of administrative affairs since bowing out of the gubernatorial race two years ago.

According to the article:

The announcement comes weeks after Mr. Duncan said the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley, who defeated Mr. Duncan in the 2006 gubernatorial race, said he could not appear at a public forum to discuss politics with former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican.

The dustup happened back in mid-September. At the time, Duncan issued a statement that Patrick Hogan, the university’s lobbyist and a former state senator, had delivered a message from Governor O’Malley that he was not go attend the meeting in question — a Hagerstown chamber of commerce event.

Hogan said, “I think he’s reading much more into a conversation than was factual,” and Duncan later issued a brief statement saying he had misinterpreted the meeting with Hogan.

Again from the Times:

[U]niversity President C.D. Mote Jr. wished him well in a statement early in the day. “We will miss Doug’s ability to navigate the complexities of local, county and state development issues,” he said “His command of the issues, and his leadership in moving our development projects forward, and his ability to engage our communities will not be easily replaced.”

Aside: Hey! I used to work for Dan Mote, more than a decade ago. I was a lowly cubicle-dweller and he would have no recollection of me. I was a fundraiser for my alma mater, U.C. Berkeley, and Dr. Mote was vice chancellor for development (the boss of the fundraisers).

UPDATE: The firm Duncan is going to is CivicUS in Rockville, according to a new article in the Times. Here’s Ehrlich on the resignation: “We wish him the best of luck and hope that he lands on his feet soon. We’re lucky to have such a good relationship across party lines with a good man.”

Rockville Library Remains Rockville Library

The >Washington Post reports that the new Rockville public library will not be named for former Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan.

Rockville Central readers know that this question, long ago it now seems, was a bit of a controversy. While many praise Duncan’s work as County Executive (I am one), they also point out that the standard rule is to wait until someone has been out of office for at least five years before naming a building after them.

And, one commenter pointed out that Duncan was not seen as particularly helpful in getting the Library the funds it needed for its recent move — making such a dedication ironic.

Present County Executive Ike Leggett decided to let stand the five-year requirement, going against the recommendation of a panel he’d asked to look into the issue.

For his part, the Post reports, Duncan said, “It would have been a great honor . . . . I’ve always said it’s [Leggett's] decision, and I respect that.”

Leggett gave no substitute name, so the name of the Rockville Library is . . . wait for it . . . the Rockville Library.

Update: City Council Wants "Memorial" Library

As you may know, there is a move afoot to name the new Rockville Public Library in honor of former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. This has become a controversy. See the >earlier post on this subject here.

On Monday, according to the Gazette:

The [Rockville city] council voted 4 to 1 to send a letter to County Executive Isiah ‘‘Ike” Leggett (D) asking that a five-year county waiting period, designed to delay naming a building after a person until a handful of years after his or her service ends, not be waived. Leggett has the final say on the matter.

Their vote, instead, is to name it the Rockville Memorial Library, in honor of local soldiers kiled in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Councilwoman Susan R. Hoffman cast the dissenting vote. ‘‘Naming the library after our native son, I think, is perfectly appropriate,” she said, reports the Gazette.

Duncan Library?

If you read the Gazette or the Washington Post, >you know it is possible that the new library in Rockville Town Center could be named for the former Montgomery County executive and former Rockville mayor (and West End resident) Doug Duncan.

The new MoCo executive, Ike Leggett, is set to make the decision after a board (stacked, critics say, with Duncan supporters) has recommended to go with the name. This would make it one of the few libraries in the county that has a person’s name affixed (usually they are named after the place they are) and Leggett would have to waive a county policy that requires people for whom buildings are named to have been away from public service for at least five years.

[edit] According to WaPo, “Duncan backers said that he was a supporter of public libraries and that he increased funding, expanded library hours and fought for state money for the Rockville project during his 12 years in office.” [/edit]

Critics say that Duncan did not push hard enough, when MoCo executive, for library funding and so it would be wrong to name a library after him. Among alternatives that have been proposed is “Rockville Memorial Library,” to honor fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What do you think?