Today Brooke Lierman was sworn in as Maryland’s 34th Comptroller. Lierman is a proud native of Montgomery County and a graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. Breaking another glass ceiling in this historically diverse administration, she is the first woman to hold the office. She is also the first new person to hold the title since my friend and Maryland's longtime Comptroller Peter Franchot took the oath in 2007.  

I want to congratulate Comptroller Lierman and echo what other colleagues have said about her comprehensive approach to preparing for the office. With a focus on supporting families, communities, and the companies that do business in Maryland, she has relied on input from community members and civic leaders from across the State, including Councilmember Gabe Albornoz and Chief Administrative Officer Richard Madaleno, who serve as members of her transition team. As a member of the Maryland Association of Counties Board of Directors, I look forward to working with Comptroller Lierman to strengthen the collaboration between her office and our local governments. 

The Office of Comptroller touches many aspects of our everyday lives. The revenues the office collects help pave the way for the future of our state. We are depending on state funding for major projects from expanding our Bus Rapid Transit project, so it connects more communities, to building new schools across our county to give every student the best opportunity to succeed. We are also partnering with the state to develop the Institute for Health Computing in North Bethesda. This new institute will bring the talents of the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Maryland Baltimore, and the University of Maryland Medical System together for a project that will boost our life sciences industry and be a catalyst for economic development for years to come. 

I look forward to seeing the impact she will have on Montgomery County and all of Maryland.