[Exclusive] Anthony Brown: The Man Who Wants To Lead Maryland (Part 1)

A big driver for the success the administration has enjoyed with minority-owned businesses is the MBE prime contractor regulations, which allow primes to meet some of the requirements through self-performance and evaluation of work. Administration of the MBE Program lies with the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs (GOMA).

“What we’ve set out to do going forward, in addition to our procurement program and ways to strengthen it, is continue to unbundle contracts and expand opportunities to MBE’s not just in our procurement process but in our relationships with the Maryland business community.”

A few years ago, the O’Malley administration reached an agreement that directed the public service commission to enter into a memorandum of understanding with regulator utilities like Pepco and Baltimore Gas and Electric, and other Maryland energy and power companies. The idea was to encourage the state’s regulator utilities to embrace and adopt goals of M.B.E and women-owned firms.

So far it seems to be working. According to Brown’s office an increasing number of small minority- and women-owned firms are becoming part of the supply chain of these regulator utilities.

On the campaign trail Brown is proposing something similar with the Maryland insurance administration. Much as they did with the public service commission, he wants to regulate Maryland’s insurance industry.

“I think about property and casualty, the insurance of homes and automobiles—and I think about all the minority- and women-owned businesses that are in automotive repairs, maintenance, home renovation, and construction that they should enter also into a memorandum of understanding with our regulated insurance companies to have them embrace the M.B.E goals that we have in Maryland.”

Brown says that’s just one example of how much he values M.B.E’s,   and his unwavering commitment to look for ways to not only expand their procurement program in Maryland but to leverage relationships that encourage the Maryland business community to do the same.

So how will the Brown administration differ from that of Governor O’Malley’s? The lieutenant governor tells Black Enterprise that he gets asked that question all the time.

Please check out the second part of our exclusive Interview with Lt. Gov. Brown.