July 2, 2013 The Honorable Gabriel Albornoz Chair, Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee 3720 Farragut Ave.

Kensington, MD 20895 Re: Unanimous Support for Appointment of Delegate Brian J. Feldman to Maryland Senate Seat Being Vacated by Hon. Rob Garagiola Dear Chairman Albornoz: Please accept this letter as support and endorsement of my former House of Delegates colleague, Delegate Brian Feldman, to succeed Senator Rob Garagiola in his vacated seat. District 15 and the State of Maryland were the beneficiaries of Senator Garagiolas years of public service. His recent resignation announcement came as a surprise and I am saddened as we will miss his leadership and friendship. With Senator Garagiolas resignation on September 1, 2013, the MCDCC will undertake the responsibility of submitting a name to Governor OMalley to replace a person who upheld the duties and responsibilities of the office of State Senator with intelligence, compassion and commitment. I believe Delegate Brian Feldman is the right person to fill the position. I served with Delegate Feldman and Delegate Dumais when I was elected to the House in 2006. He and I shared an office in Annapolis during my four year tenure and I learned a tremendous amount from him. I came to respect him for his integrity and work ethic. That four year stint, I believe, is indicative of his 11 year career in the House. I believe Brian has a proven track record as a progressive voice and has amassed an impressive portfolio of legislative accomplishments. He served as Chair of Montgomery County Delegation for five years. As Chair, he led our colleagues, bringing consensus amongst the 24 our us in the House Delegation. As Montgomery County is the largest voting bloc in the General Assembly, his leadership allowed Montgomery County to have a greater influence on policies, the budget and the strengthening our stance in the state of Maryland. Because of Brians demonstration of leadership, the Speaker of the House appointed Brian as the House Parliamentarian in 2011 as in 2006 when he was appointed Chair of the Banking, Economic, Development, Science and Technology Subcommittee on the Economic Matters Committee.

Brian is right for the position because he has consistently demonstrated his ability to work with constituents, democratic activists and elected officials. I also believe, based on his legislative experience, that Brian is the right person to fill the seat to be vacated by Senator Garagiola because he will be ready to hit the ground running. This will be very important as Montgomery County will be losing two leadership positions in the Senate with the departure of Senator Garagiola, who serves as the Majority Leader and Senator Brian Frosh, current chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, who is running for Attorney General and will not be returning to the Senate. Lastly, but which may be the most important point is that just 7 years ago, I replaced the last elected Republican in Montgomery County. District 15 and Council District 2 continue to be the most competitive beyond the Democratic primary. Therefore we cannot assume that any Democrat will win the General Election in District 15. My former opponent for County Council, Robin Ficker, has already announced his candidacy for the State Senate seat in 2014. Brian has a successful track record being elected in District 15 and I believe will ensure the Senate seat remains Democratic in 2014. Delegate Feldman has committed years of public service to our community with honor and poise. It is for those reasons and because of his work ethic and achievements that I can unequivocally endorse Brian for the District 15 State Senate seat. I truly believe he is the best candidate for the vacated seat and I hope that you and the rest of the MCDCC will agree. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you any questions. Sincerely,

Councilmember Craig Rice Vice President, Montgomery County Council 240-XXX-XXXX (cell) xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.com cc: Members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee