Del. Maggie McIntosh To Retire At End Of 2022 After Three Decades In The House
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Del. Maggie McIntosh, the first openly gay member of the Maryland General Assembly who has represented Baltimore since 1992, will retire at the end of 2022.
Her office confirmed the news to WJZ.
McIntosh (D), chair of the Appropriations Committee since 2015, represents the 43rd District, covering parts of North and Northwest Baltimore, in the House of Delegates.
In addition to being the first openly gay lawmaker in the state legislature, McIntosh was the first woman to serve as House Majority Leader and to chair the House Appropriations Committee, state Sen. Mary Washington said in a statement.
McIntosh was considered a front-runner to become House Speaker in 2019, following the passing of Del. Michael Busch, but Del. Adrienne A. Jones was ultimately selected, becoming the first woman and first African American to lead the chamber.
A native of Kansas, McIntosh worked as an administrator and instructor in Baltimore City Public Schools from 1972 to 1978, later working as an adjunct at Catonsville Community College, according to her state bio. Between 1988 and 1992, McIntosh served as the campaign director and state director for U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski.
Over the next 22 years, she was an associate for federal relations for Johns Hopkins University when not working in the legislature, according to her bio.
In her statement, Washington, who also represents the 43rd District, recalled meeting McIntosh for the first time in 1996 and remembered how she fought to keep her seat after Maryland's redistricting in 2002. Under the new map, McIntosh only had 10% of her original constituency in the new 43rd District.
"I had the honor of being her campaign manager for such an important race, and her acumen, leadership and commitment to the work drew my respect, serving as a formative experience for my own career in Maryland government," she said.
Washington celebrated several of McIntosh's legislative successes, including a law legalizing same-sex marriage, the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act, and the recent Blueprint for Maryland's Future injecting an additional $4 billion into public education over the next decade.
"As they say, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and for three decades, Delegate Maggie McIntosh has represented what a good public servant, a dedicated legislator and a fierce advocate looks like in the Maryland General Assembly," Washington said. "She is the ultimate example that hard work and tenacity can overcome the obstacles you face when fighting for bold change."
In a statement on social media, Mayor Brandon Scott thanked McIntosh for her work to help the city, calling her a mentor.
"No one embodies what it means to be a fighter for Baltimore like Maggie," he said. "In her decades of service, she has been a stateswoman who stands up for our children and those who have been left behind."
