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Benjamin Brooks (politician)

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Benjamin Brooks
Member of the Maryland Senate
from the 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 11, 2023
Preceded byDelores G. Kelley
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 10th district
In office
January 14, 2015 – January 11, 2023
Serving with Jay Jalisi and Adrienne A. Jones
Preceded byEmmett C. Burns Jr.
Succeeded byJennifer White
Personal details
Born (1950-04-23) April 23, 1950 (age 74)
Sumter, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Irene Theresa
​
(m. 1974)​
Children3
EducationSouth Carolina State University (BS)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1969–1972
Battles/warsVietnam War

Benjamin Thomas Brooks Sr. (born April 23, 1950) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate for District 10, based in Baltimore County, since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2023.

Early life and education

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Benjamin Thomas Brooks Sr.[1] was born in Sumter, South Carolina on April 23, 1950. He graduated from Ebenezer High School. After graduating, Brooks served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1972, where he worked as a telephone repairman[2] and earned the Accommodations Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal, and afterwards attended South Carolina State University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting in 1976.[3]

Career

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After graduating from South Carolina State, Brooks worked as an accountant for Seagram, first as a junior accountant from 1976 to 1978 and then as a cost accountant until 1987. He has run his own tax service company, B & R Brooks Professional Tax Service, since 1987 and his own investment firm, Brooks Family Investments Inc., since 2004.[3]

Brooks first got involved in politics in 2010, when he was elected as a member of the Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee. In December 2010, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz appointed Brooks as chair of the county's liquor board, where he served until 2013.[3][4]

Maryland General Assembly

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Brooks ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 10 in 2014, during which he won the Democratic primary alongside Jay Jalisi and incumbent Adrienne A. Jones.[5] He was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015, where he served on the Economic Matters Committee during his entire tenure and as the chair of its public utilities subcommittee from 2019 to 2023. Brooks also served as deputy majority whip from 2017 to 2023.[3] In 2019, Brooks sought to run for Treasurer of Maryland, challenging incumbent Nancy Kopp, but missed the deadline for filing to run.[6][7] Despite this, Brooks received 24 votes in the treasurer election.[8]

In 2022, Brooks ran for the Maryland Senate in District 10, seeking to succeed retiring state Senator Delores G. Kelley.[9] During the Democratic primary, he was endorsed by Kelley[10] and ran on a slate with Adrienne Jones, N. Scott Phillips, and Jennifer White. He also faced colleague Jay Jalisi,[11] whom he defeated with 37.6 percent of the vote.[10] Brooks was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 11, 2023, and has since served on the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.[3]

Brooks is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Maryland Veterans Caucus. He was a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Hillary Clinton.[3][12]

Personal life

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Brooks married his wife, Irene Theresa, on August 10, 1974.[1] Together, they have three children. He is a member of the St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church in Windsor Mill, Maryland.[3]

Political positions

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In November 2015, Brooks signed onto a letter calling on Governor Larry Hogan to allow refugees of the Syrian civil war into Maryland after Hogan said that he would ask the Obama administration to stop sending such refugees to the state.[13]

During the 2020 legislative session, Brooks introduced a bill to create timelines for Maryland's remaining power plants to transition away from coal and establish a transition fund to mitigate economic impacts for employees.[14] The bill was withdrawn after he and Senate sponsor Chris West announced a deal with AES Corporation that would cause the Warrior Run Generating Station to stop burning coal in 2030.[15]

In November 2020, Brooks expressed support for stricter regulations on police. He attended a simulated police training exercise hosted by the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police, which he said gave him emphasize with the split-second decisions officers have to make, but did not change his mind on policing reforms.[16]

In October 2021, Brooks joined a lawsuit against the Baltimore County Council's redistricting plan,[17] which resulted in a new map with a second minority opportunity district.[18]

During the 2023 legislative session, Brooks introduced legislation to establish the Maryland Native Plants Program to encourage garden centers to plant native vegetation. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore.[19]

Electoral history

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Maryland House of Delegates District 10 Democratic primary election, 2014[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adrienne A. Jones (incumbent) 8,995 25.4
Democratic Jay Jalisi 6,146 17.4
Democratic Benjamin Brooks 5,507 15.6
Democratic Carin Smith 5,197 14.7
Democratic Robert "Rob" Johnson 3,369 9.5
Democratic Chris Blake 2,085 5.9
Democratic Michael Tyrone Brown, Sr. 1,868 5.3
Democratic Regg J. Hatcher, Jr. 1,121 3.2
Democratic Frederick Strickland 1,104 3.1
Maryland House of Delegates District 10 election, 2014[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adrienne A. Jones (incumbent) 24,104 29.6
Democratic Benjamin Brooks 23,703 29.1
Democratic Jay Jalisi 23,339 28.7
Republican William T. Newton 9,906 12.2
Write-in 348 0.4
Maryland House of Delegates District 10 election, 2018[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adrienne A. Jones (incumbent) 33,830 27.4
Democratic Benjamin Brooks (incumbent) 33,066 26.8
Democratic Jay Jalisi (incumbent) 32,587 26.4
Republican George H. Harman 8,525 6.9
Republican Brian Marcos 7,706 6.2
Republican Matthew Kaliszak 7,458 6.0
Write-in 159 0.1
Maryland Senate District 10 Democratic primary election, 2022[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Benjamin Brooks 6,432 37.6
Democratic Jay Jalisi 5,347 31.3
Democratic Stephanie Boston 3,087 18.0
Democratic Lawrence Williams 2,245 13.1
Maryland Senate District 10 election, 2022[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Benjamin Brooks 31,373 78.6
Republican William Newton 8,460 21.2
Write-in 65 0.2

References

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  1. ^ a b "Howard-Brooks Plans Revealed". The Item. June 7, 1974. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Armed Forces". The Item. March 4, 1971. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Benjamin T. Brooks, Sr., Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. December 22, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Gorelick, Richard (December 15, 2010). "Liquor License follow-ups — Orchard Inn/Mo's & Mad River/DuClaw". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  5. ^ Broadwater, Luke (June 24, 2014). "Some incumbents trailing in high-profile General Assembly races". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Wood, Pamela (February 12, 2019). "Bipartisan panel recommends that Nancy Kopp retain her job as Maryland treasurer". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Kurtz, Josh (February 12, 2019). "Lawmaker Wanted to Apply for State Treasurer But Missed the Deadline". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  8. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (February 19, 2019). "After Efforts to Oust Her Sag, Kopp Wins 5th Full Term as Md. Treasurer". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Opilo, Emily (April 20, 2022). "Md. House majority whip won't seek reelection". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Kurtz, Josh (July 22, 2022). "Speaker's preferred candidate leading in open-seat Senate race — plus, other Senate results". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Kurtz, Josh (December 17, 2021). "With Kelley's Looming Retirement, District 10 Political Picture Getting Clearer". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  12. ^ "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Male Delegates to the Democratic National Convention". Maryland State Board of Elections. May 31, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Hicks, Josh (November 2, 2021). "38 groups call on Hogan to welcome Syrian refugees in Maryland". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Shwe, Elizabeth (December 21, 2020). "A Major Energy Operator in Md. Plans to Retire All Its Coal Plants by 2027". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Shwe, Elizabeth (March 9, 2021). "Bipartisan Coal Transition Bill Withdrawn by House Sponsor". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Wiggins, Ovetta (October 7, 2020). "As Maryland lawmakers weigh police reforms, FOP hosts them for 'shoot, don't shoot' training". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  17. ^ Leckrone, Bennett (October 11, 2021). "Lawmakers To Join NAACP, ACLU In Calls For Changes to Baltimore County Redistricting Plan". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Knezevich, Alison (July 14, 2022). "After redistricting battle, more Black candidates than ever are running for Baltimore County Council". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  19. ^ Kurtz, Josh (April 26, 2023). "One year after Climate Solutions Now Act, lawmakers focus on passing smaller climate bills". Maryland Matters. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. July 16, 2014.
  21. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 2, 2014. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  22. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  23. ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections. August 24, 2022.
  24. ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election results for State Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections. December 7, 2022.
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