Doug Duncan
Encyclopedia
Douglas M. Duncan is a Democratic
politician from Maryland
who served as County Executive of Montgomery County
from 1994 to 2006. At three terms, Duncan held the office longer than any other County Executive in Montgomery County's history. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland
in the 2006 elections
until he abruptly dropped out of the race on June 22, 2006, citing clinical depression
. Following his exit from the gubernatorial race, he was appointed Vice President of Administrative Affairs of the University of Maryland, College Park
, where he worked for 17 months.
and received a Bachelor's degree in psychology
and political science
from Columbia University
. Duncan is married to Barbara Duncan and has five children.
from 1987–1993 and a member of the Rockville City Council from 1982–1987. He won election to a third term as County Executive in 2002, becoming the longest serving Executive in the history of Montgomery County. Due to his long tenure and influence, media observers later described him as, "Montgomery's dominant political figure for over a decade."
in the 2006 Maryland gubernatorial election
. His main rival in the Democratic primary election was Baltimore
Mayor Martin J. O'Malley. He announced his campaign with a bus tour through each of Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City.
During the campaign, Duncan trailed both O'Malley and Ehrlich in fundraising. Education became a defining issue in the race; schools in Duncan's home jurisdiction of Montgomery County had a good reputation while a judge had ordered a state takeover of Baltimore's troubled special education programs in 2005. Duncan began airing television ads in May 2006, relatively early in the campaign season, and in the following weeks his poll numbers began to rise. This improvement in the polls was tempered by media reports that Duncan's campaign had accepted contributions from companies associated with Jack Abramoff
, a Washington lobbyist who had been accused of corruption.
On June 22, 2006, Duncan dropped out of the race unexpectedly citing a diagnosis of clinical depression
. During the brief announcement of his withdrawal, he said that he had at first thought he was simply experiencing physical and mental fatigue associated with campaigning, but that the symptoms had progressed beyond simple fatigue, and sought medical treatment which resulted in the depression diagnosis. He cited a family history of the disease as a factor in the diagnosis, and a number of aides and political associates were quoted in the press saying that Duncan was noticeably unhappy in the period leading up to his withdrawal. During his withdrawal announcement, Duncan endorsed his Democratic primary opponent, Martin O'Malley, in the latter's race against incumbent Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich. At the time of the announcement, polls showed Duncan closing in on O'Malley even as his fundraising was beginning to decline. This weakness in fundraising had led to speculation that Duncan would drop out during the summer, even before the announcement of the depression diagnosis. Reports at the time suggested that his dropping out would have a significant effect on state politics, making it easier for O'Malley to unseat Ehrlich and lowering turnout in the Democratic primary, thereby affecting down ballot races as well.
On March 22, 2007, Duncan was appointed Vice President of Administrative Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park
, effective April 4. This made him the University's chief administrative and finance officer with authority over the University's human resources, comptroller, public safety, facilities and environmental management, and procurement. During his tenure, Duncan led the East Campus redevelopment project, designed as a mixed-use town center with graduate student housing along the Route 1 corridor. In association with the project, he also worked to improve relations between the university and the surrounding city of College Park
. On October 15, 2008, after a seventeen month tenure, Duncan announced his resignation from the University of Maryland.
In early 2009, speculation about a possible political comeback for Duncan began circulating in Maryland media. The speculation followed a speech by Duncan in which he discussed his experiences with depression. When asked if he would run for office again, Duncan did not rule the option out, and he went on to criticize incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley's policies, mocking O'Malley for expressing surprise at declining state revenues on the same day a new album from O'Malley's band was released. The Sun's blog Maryland Politics went on to ask, "Can Doug Duncan Make a Comeback?" in the title of one of its postings, and went on to question whether voters would accept a candidate with a history of depression.
In February 2010, several Maryland politicians, including Kumar P. Barve
and Christopher Van Hollen, expressed support for Duncan's becoming the Metro
general manager, after John Catoe announced his resignation from the position, effective April 2010.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
who served as County Executive of Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
from 1994 to 2006. At three terms, Duncan held the office longer than any other County Executive in Montgomery County's history. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
in the 2006 elections
Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006
The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. It was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The winning candidates -- Martin O'Malley and Anthony G. Brown, who defeated the incumbent Gov...
until he abruptly dropped out of the race on June 22, 2006, citing clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. Following his exit from the gubernatorial race, he was appointed Vice President of Administrative Affairs of the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, where he worked for 17 months.
Early life and family
Duncan attended St. John's College High SchoolSt. John's College High School
St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., established in 1851, is the second oldest Catholic Christian Brother's school in the United States, and the oldest JROTC school. It was founded by Brother John of Mary, F.S.C., and two other Christian Brothers in St. Matthew's parish, 15th and G...
and received a Bachelor's degree in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Duncan is married to Barbara Duncan and has five children.
Early political career
Duncan was elected as Montgomery County Executive in 1994. Prior to serving as County Executive, Duncan was the Mayor of RockvilleRockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
from 1987–1993 and a member of the Rockville City Council from 1982–1987. He won election to a third term as County Executive in 2002, becoming the longest serving Executive in the history of Montgomery County. Due to his long tenure and influence, media observers later described him as, "Montgomery's dominant political figure for over a decade."
Gubernatorial race and aftermath
Duncan was a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination to challenge Governor Robert EhrlichRobert Ehrlich
Robert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, he became governor after defeating Democratic opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections...
in the 2006 Maryland gubernatorial election
Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006
The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. It was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The winning candidates -- Martin O'Malley and Anthony G. Brown, who defeated the incumbent Gov...
. His main rival in the Democratic primary election was Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
Mayor Martin J. O'Malley. He announced his campaign with a bus tour through each of Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City.
During the campaign, Duncan trailed both O'Malley and Ehrlich in fundraising. Education became a defining issue in the race; schools in Duncan's home jurisdiction of Montgomery County had a good reputation while a judge had ordered a state takeover of Baltimore's troubled special education programs in 2005. Duncan began airing television ads in May 2006, relatively early in the campaign season, and in the following weeks his poll numbers began to rise. This improvement in the polls was tempered by media reports that Duncan's campaign had accepted contributions from companies associated with Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
, a Washington lobbyist who had been accused of corruption.
On June 22, 2006, Duncan dropped out of the race unexpectedly citing a diagnosis of clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. During the brief announcement of his withdrawal, he said that he had at first thought he was simply experiencing physical and mental fatigue associated with campaigning, but that the symptoms had progressed beyond simple fatigue, and sought medical treatment which resulted in the depression diagnosis. He cited a family history of the disease as a factor in the diagnosis, and a number of aides and political associates were quoted in the press saying that Duncan was noticeably unhappy in the period leading up to his withdrawal. During his withdrawal announcement, Duncan endorsed his Democratic primary opponent, Martin O'Malley, in the latter's race against incumbent Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich. At the time of the announcement, polls showed Duncan closing in on O'Malley even as his fundraising was beginning to decline. This weakness in fundraising had led to speculation that Duncan would drop out during the summer, even before the announcement of the depression diagnosis. Reports at the time suggested that his dropping out would have a significant effect on state politics, making it easier for O'Malley to unseat Ehrlich and lowering turnout in the Democratic primary, thereby affecting down ballot races as well.
Later career
Duncan was honored by a number of mental health groups for having publicly announced that he suffered from depression. The public nature of his declaration led to an increase in the number of calls to Montgomery County mental health agencies from people seeking mental health treatment. In the months after his withdrawal, he continued to seek counseling for a time and began a medical regiment to treat the depression. He continued to publicly discuss these treatments and his experiences with the disease.On March 22, 2007, Duncan was appointed Vice President of Administrative Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, effective April 4. This made him the University's chief administrative and finance officer with authority over the University's human resources, comptroller, public safety, facilities and environmental management, and procurement. During his tenure, Duncan led the East Campus redevelopment project, designed as a mixed-use town center with graduate student housing along the Route 1 corridor. In association with the project, he also worked to improve relations between the university and the surrounding city of College Park
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
. On October 15, 2008, after a seventeen month tenure, Duncan announced his resignation from the University of Maryland.
In early 2009, speculation about a possible political comeback for Duncan began circulating in Maryland media. The speculation followed a speech by Duncan in which he discussed his experiences with depression. When asked if he would run for office again, Duncan did not rule the option out, and he went on to criticize incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley's policies, mocking O'Malley for expressing surprise at declining state revenues on the same day a new album from O'Malley's band was released. The Sun's blog Maryland Politics went on to ask, "Can Doug Duncan Make a Comeback?" in the title of one of its postings, and went on to question whether voters would accept a candidate with a history of depression.
In February 2010, several Maryland politicians, including Kumar P. Barve
Kumar P. Barve
Kumar P. Barve is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing district 17 in Montgomery County.-Legislative career:...
and Christopher Van Hollen, expressed support for Duncan's becoming the Metro
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess...
general manager, after John Catoe announced his resignation from the position, effective April 2010.