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Del. Cheryl Glenn of Baltimore is resigning from the Maryland General Assembly, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.
Glenn submitted her letter of resignation Wednesday to the office of House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, according to one of the sources.
The sources, who said Glenn told them she was resigning, requested anonymity because Glenn had not yet made her plans public.
Glenn did not respond immediately Wednesday evening to requests for comment on her resignation, which was not expected as the legislature neared the Jan. 8 opening of its 2020 session.
Del. Darryl Barnes, a Prince George’s Democrat who is chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, said he was stunned by the news and trying to get in contact with Glenn to find out why she was stepping down.
“I’m truly heartbroken,” Barnes said. “She was one of my best friends in Annapolis. This is a major blow for the black caucus. She brought so much to the table. Her wisdom and experience were invaluable in Annapolis.”
First elected to the House of Delegates in 2006, the Democrat served as chairwoman of Baltimore’s delegation and previously led the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.
Glenn, 68, has been a vocal proponent of legalizing marijuana for medical use. The state’s medical cannabis commission is named for Glenn’s late mother, Natalie M. LaPrade.
After the initial medical cannabis licenses went to largely white-owned companies, Glenn pushed the legislature to pass a law in 2018 creating more licenses with the goal of attracting more women and people of color to the industry.
Maryland Policy & Politics
Glenn led an unsuccessful effort in the most recent legislative session to allow Baltimore school police officers to carry guns while patrolling during school hours. However, members of the city’s delegation voted 10-5 against the bill, defeating it.
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.
Glenn is the fifth delegate to resign since the end of the regular 2019 legislative session in April.
Democrats Stephen Lafferty and Eric Bromwell of Baltimore County left to take jobs with Baltimore County government. Then Tawanna P. Gaines, a Prince George’s County Democrat, resigned in October just before pleading guilty to federal charges that she misused her campaign funds.
Andrew Cassilly, a Republican representing Harford and Cecil counties, resigned this month to take a position working for Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
Glenn’s annual salary as a delegate was $50,330.
When legislators leave office before the end of their four-year terms, their local state party committee nominates a replacement to the governor. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan can accept or reject the nomination of the District 45 members of the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee to fill Glenn’s seat until her term expires in January 2023. If he does not appoint the committee’s first choice, it submits another name; the governor can appoint only someone nominated by the panel.