Democratic primary for Maryland comptroller could be historic

In TV ads and interviews, Adams emphasizes his business background and executive experience, while Lierman highlights her legislative expertise and understanding of how government works. Both say they want to make changes to increase competition in large public contracts.

They are vying to replace Peter Franchot, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, who has been comptroller since 2006. The comptroller serves four-year terms and, unlike the governor, is not limited to two terms. The last time the office was open was 1998.

Lierman had the financial edge as of early June, according to the latest campaign finance reports, leaving her with $1.5 million to fund the critical final weeks of the campaign.

Adams, who is self-financing his campaign, has contributed more than $2 million and had about $965,800 of cash on hand, reports show.

Lierman also leads Adams by 28 percent to 14 percent in voter support, according to a recent Goucher College Poll, but more than half of voters — 52 percent — were undecided as of mid-June.

“It’s the most important office you’ve never heard of,” said Mileah Kromer, the director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College. “People don’t pay attention to the day-to-day of tax dollars and reimbursements of unclaimed property.”

With inflation on the rise and warnings of a recession, Lierman and Adams say accountability for the state’s finances is more important than ever.

The primary function of the state comptroller, known as the state’s chief financial officer or accountant, is to collect about $16 billion annually in taxes, including taxes on individual and business income, sales, gasoline, and alcohol and tobacco. The office also handles information technology for the state, paying the state’s bills and employee paychecks. The agency has 1,100 employees and a budget of $110 million.

Lierman, 43, lives in Fells Point. She is a civil rights and disability lawyer at the Baltimore firm Brown Goldstein and Levy. Her father, Terry Lierman, is a former chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.

In the legislature, she has served for five years on the House Appropriations Committee and is vice chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee; she also sits on the Oversight Committee on Pensions and co-founded the Maryland Transit Caucus.

Lierman supported successful bills in the latest session divesting the pension fund from Russia and requiring the board of trustees of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System to consider the effect of climate change on investments.

She also led a coalition to create a program of community-based gun-violence prevention that, with legislation passed in Congress in late June, is poised to receive federal dollars, a development that she said gives Maryland a head start over other states.

“I’ve tried to be forward thinking to ensure that Maryland is set up in a way so that we can attract and use in a thoughtful way federal funds that are available and get them out to communities that need them,” she said.

The availability of federal infrastructure money that is available as the nation comes out of the pandemic gives the state a chance “over the next four years to change what Maryland will look like for the next 40 years, for the better,” she said.

Lierman said that if elected comptroller, she would work to minimize single-source contracts, prioritizing Maryland-based companies and investing in minority-owned businesses. She wants to modernize the office of comptroller, performing data analysis to ensure that corporations are paying their fair share in taxes and that families are taking advantage of benefits such as the earned income tax credit. She worked to create a legal division within the comptroller’s office that can write legally binding letters to advise businesses how certain tax laws apply to them.

She also wants to refocus on the comptroller’s 12 field offices to be present in the community, such as holding meetings with church groups and senior centers to talk about financial literacy and tax preparation services, ultimately building more financially resilient communities.

Lierman has touted the endorsements of high-profile Maryland Democrats including U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, U.S. Rep. Jamie B. Raskin and Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks. She also has been endorsed by the Afro and The Washington Post (the paper’s editorial and news departments are separate).

While Lierman has connections among establishment Democrats, Adams enters the race from the private sector.

Adams, 63, is the founder and chief executive of Systems Application & Technologies, a national defense and national security company based in Upper Marlboro with about 700 employees in 23 states and revenue nearing $100 million annually. SA-TECH tests military weapons systems and aircraft.

Adams said he has had to overcome significant barriers, including federal contracts being written to prevent new, small and minority-owned businesses from competing. As a result, Adams said, he can identify contracts that are narrowly tailored to reduce competition.

He was elected in 2018 as the first Black mayor of Bowie, a nonpartisan role. Adams, who sits on the board of Luminis Health, said he created a city public health officer to ferret out disparities affecting underserved communities and prioritize the care of senior citizens, a key role amid the coronavirus.

Adams said that an accident 15 years ago left him with a spinal cord injury but strengthened his faith and gave him a chance to help others. As mayor, he personally visited city facilities to make sure they were wheelchair accessible.

“I’m someone who not only came through those barriers because of my race and socioeconomic status, but I had an accident, I became a paraplegic. That didn’t stop me, that didn’t stop me from running my business,” he said.

Adams said 30 years in business, legislating as mayor and his philanthropic pursuits have prepared him to be comptroller because he knows “what it really means to make payroll” and understands that diversity creates more competition, resulting in “more innovation and lower prices.”

As comptroller, he said, he would initiate a top-down audit of all tax credits, determine which corporations are not paying their fair share and hold them accountable. He said the high number of undecided voters does not intimidate him.

“Voters are just starting to tune in,” Adams said. “When they read about my life, they’ll understand I’ve overcome long odds my entire life.”

Adams said he is largely self-funding his campaign to ensure that voters hear his qualifications and said he doesn’t come from the “political elite.” He touted the endorsements of Del. Darryl Barnes (D), the chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, and Melony G. Griffith, the president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate.

“I’ve led a large organization not only through the pandemic but through two recessions,” he said. “This is why you need an experienced executive leader. … I don’t have to learn on the job. I know how to navigate tough times. I’ve done it.”