(Breaking news) Levy to step down at end of term

Delegate, ex-commissioner has served since 1986

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009

By ALAN BRODY

Staff writer

Del. Murray D. Levy, a fixture of public life in Charles County for nearly four decades, will not seek re-election next year, choosing to retire before his political star flickers.

The bombshell decision, which Levy said he came to after months of reflection, stands to shake up the county's political landscape nine months before the 2010 primary election.

"I'm just ready to lay down the torch or hand it off to the next generation," said Levy, whose name will not appear on the ballot for the first time since 1986.

There's no shortage of potential Democratic candidates who might vie to replace him. They include Commissioners Edith J. Patterson, Reuben B. Collins II and Gary V. Hodge, former Commissioner Candice Quinn Kelly and Prince George's County Assistant State's Attorney C.T. Wilson, who lives in Charles County.

Republicans might also see opportunity in Levy's retirement, although it's unclear who might step up to run for delegate.

Politics played no role in Levy's decision, he said in an interview Monday during which he revealed his plans. Rather, he said he wants to spend more time as a private citizen and wants to avoid the perception as stubbornly holding on to his seat too long.

"Unless you're prepared to die in office, this day comes either on your own terms or by the people," Levy said.

From his early days in politics, he said his wife, Sherri, always advised him not to be "the boxer who didn't know when to quit and kept coming back."

Age was one factor. If Levy, 64, sought another term, he would be 70 at the conclusion. He also said it's time for some fresh faces to represent Charles County.

"You hear the clock ticking as you get to a certain age and I have become conscious of time and what I had left and what I still want to do," he said.

But Levy kept his decision under wraps, even from his closest allies. Levy said on Monday that he had not even informed Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton (D-Charles), whose friendship with Levy spans several decades.

He first considered the possibility of retiring after this year's legislative session, but initially wavered. He held a fundraiser at his home in May, at which point Levy said he "had every intention of running." But he said he has been at peace with the decision he made in September to make this term his last.

"When I make a big decision, I can tell almost immediately if I'm right or wrong," he said. "When I start second-guessing myself the day after, I know it's not the right decision. That didn't happen here."

If Levy does not reconsider, it will mark the end of a career in public service that began in 1971 as Charles County's finance director. He became the county's public works chief in 1976 and was elected commissioner in 1986. When Middleton moved to the Senate in 1994, Levy succeeded him as commissioners' president. He presided during the aftermath of the devastating tornado in 2002 that cut a path across the county, killing five people and leveling dozens of shops and homes in downtown La Plata, which he said was the defining moment of not only his political career, but his life.

"It was heart-wrenching and it was exhilarating to see how the community came together," he said, recalling the sound of helicopters surveying the damage that caused him to break into a cold sweat when he heard the noise in the weeks following the twister.

Then in 2004, Charles County Democrats selected him to replace Del. Van T. Mitchell, who stepped down to take a high-level appointment in the state health department.

In Annapolis, Levy has earned the respect of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for his ability to navigate the massive state budget and for his advocacy of local government. His accounting and business background — he and his wife used to own a grocery store in Cobb Island — served him well in the legislature.

But since shifting to the General Assembly, Levy said he has come to value the slower pace that the part-time legislature offers compared to the year-round nature of local government.

"The things that other people take for granted are new and special," he said. "[You realize] there is life after politics."

And Levy has become distressed over the increasing partisanship that impedes debate on important issues.

"I'm really concerned that we're losing the ability to disagree and work through it," he said.

Members of both parties need to put aside their differences after the election, he added. "Your job is not to drill a hole in the other side's boat," he said.

As for his post-political plans, Levy said he's just looking forward to adjusting to life as a constituent. But he left the door open to remaining active in politics or other public activities.

"I don't intend to disappear and live the life of a shut-in," he said.

abrody@somdnews.com