Joan Carter Conway
Encyclopedia
Joan Carter Conway is an American politician who represents district 43 in the Maryland State Senate
. She is the first African American
woman to be appointed chairman of any of the standing committees in the Maryland Senate and in 2000 was listed one of "Maryland's Top 100 Women" by the Daily Record.
, with a B.A. in sociology in 1988. She is co-owner of CIG Professional Tax Services, Inc. Conway was appointed to the Senate, from the Baltimore City Council
, when John A. Pica, Jr. decided to retire in 1997. Since then she has won three elections without major opposition. In 2007, Conway headed a team of 3 incumbent delegates (Curt Anderson
, Ann Marie Doory
and Maggie McIntosh
) and 7 state central committee members (Baltimore City Councilmen
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
and Robert W. Curran
, and democrats Sherrod Barnes, Jeremy Rosendale, Beatrice Brown, and Sylvia Williams) to victory with every person on her ticket winning in the September primary. No other 11-person ticket achieved such distinction in the state primary election.
.
.
In a 2005 complaint filed with the Baltimore Circuit Court, Chief liquor inspector Samuel Daniels Jr accused Conway of acting in collusion with other members of Baltimore's Liquor Board to replace him with her husband, Vernon Conway. At the time the complaint was filed Daniels had been suspended for reasons he claimed stemmed from his attempts to investigate bars on The Block which had quid pro quo relationships with other liquor inspectors and with Senator Conway. Daniels was later found by the city's labor commissioner to have been unfairly suspended and after being reinstated he eventually dropped the charges.
In 2010, while serving as the chair of the committee that hears alcohol bills, Conway went on the record saying that a bill that would allow wine to be shipped to residents of the state “is not going anywhere” despite the fact that 6 of the 9 members of her own committee and both chambers supporting the legislation. Conway cited the fact that it would be difficult for the state to ensure taxes were collected on wine shipped into the state and that it would give minors the ability to tap the internet to obtain alcohol. 37 of the 50 States currently allow wine to be shipped directly to residents.
But some proponents of the direct-shipping bill question whether she is too personally tied to the system to be fair. Her husband, Vernon "Tim" Conway, is a city liquor inspector since 1995 who made $67,000 in his position last year, according to city records.
All 188 lawmakers and Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, are up for election this fall, further imperiling the wine-shipping bill. According to a 2008 analysis by The Baltimore Sun, more than 80 percent of state legislators have received campaign contributions from the liquor lobby.
Maryland State Senate
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland...
. She is the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman to be appointed chairman of any of the standing committees in the Maryland Senate and in 2000 was listed one of "Maryland's Top 100 Women" by the Daily Record.
Background
Senator Conway was born to Floyd O. and Pauline N. Carter in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 5, 1951. She attended the Community College of Baltimore, earning her A.A. in human services in 1987 and then the University of BaltimoreUniversity of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore , located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. Through the Freshman Initiative or Lower Division Initiative, UB has transformed from an upper division university to a...
, with a B.A. in sociology in 1988. She is co-owner of CIG Professional Tax Services, Inc. Conway was appointed to the Senate, from the Baltimore City Council
Baltimore City Council
The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its nearly 700,000 citizens. Baltimore has fourteen single-member City Council districts and representatives are elected for a four-year term. To qualify for a position on the Council, a person must be...
, when John A. Pica, Jr. decided to retire in 1997. Since then she has won three elections without major opposition. In 2007, Conway headed a team of 3 incumbent delegates (Curt Anderson
Curt Anderson
Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. Anderson was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12...
, Ann Marie Doory
Ann Marie Doory
Ann Marie L. Doory, is an American politician who represented the 43rd legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 2010. She resigned on July 13, 2010.-Background:...
and Maggie McIntosh
Maggie McIntosh
Margaret L. McIntosh, commonly known as Maggie McIntosh, is an American politician from the state of Maryland. The Chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates, she has been a member of the House of Delegates since November 1992...
) and 7 state central committee members (Baltimore City Councilmen
Baltimore City Council
The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its nearly 700,000 citizens. Baltimore has fourteen single-member City Council districts and representatives are elected for a four-year term. To qualify for a position on the Council, a person must be...
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
Ken Harris (politician)
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr. a member of the Democratic Party, was a candidate for Baltimore City Council President. He served on the city council since 1999, representing Baltimore's 4th Council District, until 2007...
and Robert W. Curran
Robert W. Curran
Robert W. Curran, is a member of the Baltimore City Council representing the Third Council District in Baltimore, Maryland. A member of a prominent Maryland political family, Curran is the son of J. Joseph Curran, Sr., Baltimore City Councilman from 1953 through 1977, a brother to former Maryland...
, and democrats Sherrod Barnes, Jeremy Rosendale, Beatrice Brown, and Sylvia Williams) to victory with every person on her ticket winning in the September primary. No other 11-person ticket achieved such distinction in the state primary election.
In the Legislature
A member of Senate since January 8, 1997, Senator Conway is Chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of MarylandLegislative Black Caucus of Maryland
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...
.
Controversy In The News
In 1999 Conway was arrested and charged with hindering a law enforcement officer after a six-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle in front of her office and she allegedly refused to provide space for the paramedics to work on the child. The charges were later dropped by State's Attorney Patricia JessamyPatricia Jessamy
Patricia Coats Jessamy is a former chief prosecutor for the City of Baltimore, Maryland She was appointed to head the Office of the State's Attorney in 1995 and won reelection three times.- Background :...
.
In a 2005 complaint filed with the Baltimore Circuit Court, Chief liquor inspector Samuel Daniels Jr accused Conway of acting in collusion with other members of Baltimore's Liquor Board to replace him with her husband, Vernon Conway. At the time the complaint was filed Daniels had been suspended for reasons he claimed stemmed from his attempts to investigate bars on The Block which had quid pro quo relationships with other liquor inspectors and with Senator Conway. Daniels was later found by the city's labor commissioner to have been unfairly suspended and after being reinstated he eventually dropped the charges.
In 2010, while serving as the chair of the committee that hears alcohol bills, Conway went on the record saying that a bill that would allow wine to be shipped to residents of the state “is not going anywhere” despite the fact that 6 of the 9 members of her own committee and both chambers supporting the legislation. Conway cited the fact that it would be difficult for the state to ensure taxes were collected on wine shipped into the state and that it would give minors the ability to tap the internet to obtain alcohol. 37 of the 50 States currently allow wine to be shipped directly to residents.
But some proponents of the direct-shipping bill question whether she is too personally tied to the system to be fair. Her husband, Vernon "Tim" Conway, is a city liquor inspector since 1995 who made $67,000 in his position last year, according to city records.
All 188 lawmakers and Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, are up for election this fall, further imperiling the wine-shipping bill. According to a 2008 analysis by The Baltimore Sun, more than 80 percent of state legislators have received campaign contributions from the liquor lobby.