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Del. Cheryl Glenn of Baltimore confirmed Thursday that she resigned her position in the House of Delegates, but did not say why she left.
“I resigned yesterday, personal reasons. No other comment at this time," Glenn, a Democrat, wrote in a text message to The Baltimore Sun.
Glenn’s departure as legislators prepare for the 2020 session, which starts Jan. 8, was unexpected. She was re-elected in 2018 to a four-year term.
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones said in an interview Thursday that she was “surprised just like everyone else.”
Glenn’s legislative aide submitted the delegate’s resignation letter late Wednesday to the speaker’s office, Jones said. Glenn’s resignation was effective immediately.
Jones said Glenn reached out to her only to discuss what would happen to her aide. Glenn also did not give the speaker a reason for leaving the legislature.
“I have nothing further in terms of why,” said Jones, a Baltimore County Democrat.
Maryland Policy & Politics
Glenn, 68, was elected to the House of Delegates in 2006 and has been a leading proponent of marijuana for medical use. She also held the position of chairwoman of the city of Baltimore’s delegation to the House.
Before entering politics, Glenn worked in union and labor issues, including serving as a personnel officer for the city’s school system in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as working as a lobbyist for the city teachers’ union from 1997 until 2003.
“Cheryl Glenn’s resignation is a huge loss for labor,” former Baltimore Teachers Union president Marietta English said Thursday in a statement. “She was a true labor champion during her time in the General Assembly.”
Glenn’s annual salary as a delegate was $50,330.
The Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee for the 45th District that Glenn represented must nominate a replacement to serve the remainder of her term, which runs until January 2023. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan can accept or reject the committee’s nomination, but cannot offer his own nominee.
Glenn is the fifth delegate to resign since the end of the last General Assembly session in April. Three delegates — Democrats Stephen Lafferty and Eric Bromwell of Baltimore County and Republican Andrew Cassilly of Harford and Cecil counties — left because they were taking new jobs. Tawanna P. Gaines, a Prince George’s Democrat, resigned just before pleading guilty in federal court to using campaign funds for personal purposes.
Baltimore Sun reporter Talia Richman contributed to this article.