Maryland Accountability Project

PRESS RELEASE

January 12, 2005

One Senator, Four Delegates Receive 2004 Crabbie Awards For Unexcused Absences

Twelve Legislators Receive New Lighthouse Award

ANNAPOLIS – Claiming some legislators have been “crabby” with their time, a legislative watchdog group is greeting five legislators on Wednesday with “Crabbie” awards. The Maryland Accountability Project (MAP) today released its first annual “unexcused absence” scorecard, which found that Senator Nathaniel Exum (D-24) and Delegates Tony Fulton (D-40), Patrick McDonough (R-07), Nathaniel Oaks (D-41), and Justin Ross (D-22) had the five worst attendance records on the floor of the General Assembly during the 2004 Session. The MAP “unexcused absence” scorecard can be downloaded at www.marylandaccountabilityproject.org.

MAP researched each bill brought to the floor of the General Assembly in 2004 and catalogued every time a legislator was “not voting” and found that Senator Exum did not cast votes 107 times, Delegate Fulton missed 89 votes, Delegate McDonough missed 86 votes, Delegate Oaks missed 207 votes (the most of any legislator), and Delegate Ross missed 145 votes. MAP did not count excused absences against any legislators.

MAP is also greeting twelve legislators on Wednesday who had perfect attendance records with “Lighthouse” awards. Delegates John Cluster (R-08), Don Dwyer (R-31), J.B. Jennings (R-07), Anne Kaiser (D-14), Carolyn Krysiak (D-46), Susan Lee (D-16), and Michael Smigiel (R-36) and Senators Gwendolyn Britt (D-47), James Brochin (D-42), Sharon Grosfeld (D-18), Philip Jimeno (D-31), and E.J. Pipkin (R-36) missed zero votes on the floor of the General Assembly.

“Our representative government hinges on elected officials showing up to cast votes for the constituents whom they represent,” said Doug Graham of the Maryland Accountability Project. “If these officials are missing lots of votes, their constituents are the ones who are missing out because they do not have a consistent voice in Annapolis . MAP is pleased to present Lighthouse awards to twelve legislators who had the steady and visible presence of a lighthouse on the floor of the General Assembly – never missing a vote and always showing a presence on behalf of their constituents.”

The Maryland Accountability Project (MAP) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to educating citizens about Maryland ’s state government and the activities of state public officials and to generally encouraging citizens to participate in the democratic process to hold public officials accountable. More information about MAP can be found on the organization’s Web site at www.marylandaccountabilityproject.org.

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