State legislators and political leaders expressed surprise and, in some cases, concern yesterday that a Baltimore businessman and his daughter had donated $95,000 to Gov. Parris N. Glendening's legal defense fund.
Several lawmakers interviewed called the sum "excessive" and said the contributions from Baltimore businessman Willie Runyon created the appearance of a conflict of interest for the governor.
"I don't think this is the kind of thing that promotes confidence in the independence of government," said Democratic Del. Kenneth C. Montague Jr., co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics. "Obviously, it creates a question to the nature of the relationship that exists between Mr. Runyon and Mr. Glendening. I imagine it would be a lot more difficult to not accept a phone call from Mr. Runyon than from somebody who gave $50."
Joyce Lyons Terhes, chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party, said she, too, was concerned about the appearance of a conflict and wondered why Mr. Runyon had given such a large sum.
"I want to know who he is and what he has to gain in the state of Maryland," Mrs. Terhes said.
Mr. Runyon, multimillionaire owner of a Baltimore ambulance company, gave nine times more money than any other contributor to the fund, which is paying the legal costs of defending against Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey's challenge to the November election.
In an interview yesterday, Mr. Runyon said he got to know Mr. Glendening during the campaign and simply was helping a man he had grown to admire. "I gave what I thought they needed," Mr. Runyon said. "I can well afford it."
Mr. Runyon dismissed concerns that his contributions might givehim undue influence with Mr. Glendening. "I don't even need the governor, and I don't need no favors from the governor," said Mr. Runyon, who also contributed $8,000 to Mr. Glendening's campaign and at least $15,000 to his inaugural fund.
Mr. Glendening defended his acceptance of the defense fund contribution yesterday. He said he saw no potential conflict of interest because, as far as he knew, Mr. Runyon has no business or relations with the state.
"He's just in it for the Democratic Party," the governor said.
He released Mr. Runyon's name Saturday along with those of 39 other individuals, companies and unions that have contributed a total of $173,200 to help pay his legal bills, which exceed $300,000.
Mr. Glendening initially refused to release the names when asked on Friday, but changed his mind during the weekend after state political leaders urged him to do so to allay public concern about the role of money in politics. The governor was not required to disclose the names of his contributors, according to the attorney general's office.
In addition to Mr. Runyon, who donated $85,000 in his own name, Mr. Runyon's company, American Ambulance and Oxygen Service in Baltimore, gave $5,000. Mr. Runyon's daughter, Marjorie Boyer of eastern Baltimore County, also gave $5,000.
The next biggest donor was an Ellicott City health care management firm called Kurron Shares of America Inc., which gave $10,000. Kurron's chairman, Corbett A. Price, is a former chief executive officer of Dimensions Health Corp., which runs Prince George's County hospitals under a lease with the county where Mr. Glendening was executive for 12 years.
Mr. Price and two others listed at his Ellicott City residence, Devin and Dorian Price, together donated $12,000 to Mr. Glendening's campaign for governor. Mr. Price could not be reached last night.
Also listed as a $1,000 contributor was Capitol Associates Inc., a Washington-based government and public relations firm headed by Terry L. Lierman of Bethesda.
Mr. Lierman is a former staff director to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, where he oversaw federal funding of higher education programs, said the governor's appointments secretary, Hannah Byron.
On Friday, Mr. Glendening named Mr. Lierman to a seat on the policy-setting Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Mr. Lierman also personally contributed $1,985 to Mr. Glendening's campaign.
Another $2,000 was donated to the legal defense fund by Neighbor Care Pharmacies, a Baltimore company whose president, Michael G. Bronfein, was finance director for one of Mr. Glendening's Democratic primary opponents, former Lt. Gov. Melvin A. Steinberg. Mr. Bronfein could not be reached for comment.
Deborah A. Povich, executive director of Maryland Common Cause, said she thought Mr. Glendening should have set limits on individual contributions just as President Clinton has for his legal defense fund. "If the president can set a $1,000 limit, why can't the governor?" she said.
Mr. Glendening said he never thought of it. "We had just come off a $6 million campaign and we were raising money for the inauguration, and we had this frivolous lawsuit come up that we had to raise money for," the governor said.
Despite Mr. Runyon's claim that he doesn't need the governor's help, Delegate Montague said the fact that he gave a large sum of money won't hurt if he ever does. "I suspect if he ever needs the governor, the governor will be there," Mr. Montague said.