Peter Franchot

Peter Van Rensselaer Franchot (born November 25, 1947) is an American politician who was the 33rd comptroller of Maryland.

A member of the Democratic Party, Franchot served for 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates representing Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

After serving in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970, Franchot again attended Amherst, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1973.

He graduated from Northeastern University School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 1978.

After graduating from law school, Franchot worked as legislative counsel for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

He then served as staff director for then-Congressman Ed Markey from 1980 to 1986.

After his election to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1986, Franchot was a self-employed business development consultant.

From 1987 to 2007, Franchot served in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the 20th legislative district, which includes Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

Franchot was a member of the Appropriations Committee and chaired the Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee, as well as the Transportation and the Environment Subcommittee.

In 1988, while serving his first term in the House of Delegates, Franchot ran for Maryland's 8th congressional district against Republican incumbent Connie Morella.

Morella defeated Franchot, 63% to 37%, in the general election.

He was elected comptroller in 2006, and was subsequently re-elected three times.

Franchot unsuccessfully ran for governor of Maryland in 2022, placing third in the Democratic primary behind Tom Perez and Wes Moore.

Franchot was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

He attended Amherst College, but later left to join the presidential campaign of Senator Eugene McCarthy.

During the years leading up to his 2006 bid for comptroller, Franchot opposed Republican governor Bob Ehrlich's efforts to expand slot machine gambling in Maryland.

He considered a run for governor to challenge Ehrlich, but ultimately ran for Comptroller of Maryland.

Franchot ran in the Democratic primary for Comptroller of Maryland against incumbent William Donald Schaefer and Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens.

Franchot defeated Schaefer in the Democratic primary election, marking Schaefer's first loss in his 51-year career.

Franchot defeated the Republican nominee, Anne McCarthy, in the general election on November 7, 2006.

Franchot was sworn into office on January 22, 2007.

Franchot took office on January 22, 2007, and was re-elected in 2010, 2014, and 2018.

As comptroller, Franchot supported adding toll lanes on the beltway and I-270, requiring schools to open after Labor Day, and reducing restrictions on craft beer sales in Maryland.

He frequently sparred with school system leaders and elected officials from Baltimore County, a jurisdiction that in 2011, had 65 school buildings without air-conditioning.

His public spats with County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, a fellow Democrat, over this issue has alienated Franchot from members of his own party.

In December 2012, he announced he would instead seek re-election as comptroller.

Franchot considered running for the 2014 Democratic nomination for governor.

In January 2016, the Board of Public Works approved the use of state funding for portable air conditioners in Baltimore-area schools and lifted a ban on using state funding to purchase window air-conditioning units for public school classrooms.

During the meeting, Franchot faced criticism for comparing the lack of air conditioning in schools to the Flint water crisis, saying "We were all dismissed as a bunch of malcontents. This is our Flint".

Towards the end of the 2016 legislative session, top legislative leaders, who objected to Franchot's frequent criticism, inserted language in budget bills to prevent the use of state funds for portable air-conditioning units in schools, which aligned with Kamenentz's view.

In the same legislative session, lawmakers sought to end a practice — known as "beg-a-thon" — where school system leaders appear before the Board of Public Works to request additional school construction funding.

Later that year in May, the Board of Public Works voted 2–1 to withhold state funding for school construction in Baltimore and Baltimore County unless local officials installed air conditioning in all classrooms by the start of the next school year.

In response, Kamenentz released a plan that accelerated the county's installation timeline by one year.

In January 2017, the Board of Public Works voted to restore funding to the jurisdictions.

In an interview with WYPR in July 2018, Franchot announced that he would not endorse his party's nominee for governor, Ben Jealous, and will instead remain neutral in the gubernatorial contest.

"I think I'm probably going to remain neutral in that race—simply because it's important for me to get along with whoever is elected," Franchot said.

This is despite previous pledges made ahead of the primary to support the party's nominee in the gubernatorial election.

Franchot, along with the governor and the state treasurer, compose the Board of Public Works — a constitutionally appointed body that oversees many aspects of the state's finances.

During his tenure on the Board, Franchot worked to advance initiatives that reform the state's procurement process and practices, including the reduction of single-bid contracts and increased participation among minority and women-owned enterprises.

Franchot used his seat on the Board of Public Works and his high-profile political position to publicly pressure officials in Baltimore City and Baltimore County to immediately install air conditioning units in aging school facilities that lack HVAC systems.