Dereck E. Davis, a veteran Maryland lawmaker known for his genial, soft-spoken public persona and ruthless dealmaking behind the scenes, became state treasurer on Thursday, elected in a near-unanimous vote by the legislature to help oversee state spending, school construction and environmental permitting on the powerful, three-member Board of Public Works.
Davis, 54, who has served in the General Assembly for 27 years, has presided over the Economic Matters Committee, which has regulated business and the alcohol industry since 2003. According to legislative staffers, he has never had a bill fail on the floor of the House of Delegates.
“As one of the House’s longest serving committee chairmen, his deep institutional knowledge is only underscored by an impeccable record of success,” House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore) tweeted after the election.
Because of coronavirus restrictions, Davis’s election was conducted in a modified joint session of the General Assembly. Typically senators cram into the House chamber to take the vote. On Thursday, the lawmakers cast their ballots in their respective chambers and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and Senate leaders oversaw the vote count.
