Robbie Leonard On His Bid for Baltimore County State's Attorney ⋆ RoCo in HoCo

Colleen was rummaging around in the black hole she calls “a purse” when I entered the kitchen.

“Hold on a sec there, Missy,” I said in a deep voice.

She looked up from her purse-search: “What?!–I’m getting late to interview Robbie Leonard!”

“I know it’s your turn, but I think I should take this one,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because we’re both named Robert, and therefore have a bond that no one else can understand. We get each other.”

Oh, OK, Then…

Colleen, believer in all things mystical that she is, acquiesced. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and made my way out the door. On the way to Clarksville Commons, I thought for a second maybe I won’t be able to connect Robbie’s run for State’s Attorney in Baltimore County to HoCo. But I really, truly, deeply believe in that MLK quote: “No one is free when others are oppressed.” And so when Robbie wins his race…we’ll all be a little more free. We’re all connected. Like that chaos theory tale of a butterfly flapping its wings in Peking causing a tsunami in Maine. Or: “In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state,” according to the Wikipedia entry for it. A much less poetic way to say it, but I thought, “Robbie will think this is funny.” So there ya’ go!

I hadn’t spoken to my ol’ friend, Rich Gibson, Howard County State’s Attorney in a while. So I texted him and asked him to weigh in on the same question I asked Robbie: what does a State’s Attorney do? Both their answers amounted to this: the State’s Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in that jurisdiction. They set criminal justice policies and ensure the fair and just administration of criminal laws. They manage the State’s Attorney’s Office which means managerial oversight of a multi-million dollar budget and the staff of the office.

As Robbie brought his food over to our table, I told him I really appreciated getting to meet with him so close to his campaign finance reporting deadline. It can be a stressful time.

“But people should know where the money’s coming from, right? It tells you what people’s motives are,” he said then taking a bite of the noodles he ate politely.

One Singular Sensation

I asked him what he wanted to achieve as State’s Attorney. He said, “I want to make the State’s Attorney’s office fair, transparent, and equitable.” He realizes there are often two justice systems in our country, and he told me he wants to close that gap. But he also has his sights on more tangible things: combatting violent crime, spearheading legislation that supports children and families, and making sure his staff of 65 attorneys at the office have the support they need to do their jobs effectively. A focus on preventing violent crime wouldn’t come a moment too soon. 2021 was Baltimore County’s “deadliest year on record”, according to the Baltimore Sun.

“I’m focused on day one,” he said when I asked him if he would run again.

Robbie graduated from Dulaney Valley High School in Towson in 2000. Then came his undergraduate time at Western Maryland. College (now McDaniel College) before transferring to and graduating from Towson University. He and a friend applied to the University of Baltimore law school then–they both got in!

One of his favorite memories is the first case he won.”I spent two years getting to know my client and their family. Being able to tell their story to the jury…” It was clearly, deeply moving to him. And then the verdict came back in his client’s favor. “It’s just this feeling…it’s my proudest accomplishment, that first case I won.”

He had just had shoulder surgery when he litigated that civil case and had an arm in a sling, and the physical pain I’m sure added to the emotional anguish of waiting for the verdict. When it came back in his client’s favor, the client’s mom gave him a hug, and while I cringed at the thought of being hugged after shoulder surgery (everyone I know who’s had it says it’s very painful), Robbie smiled remembering this hug.

These days, Robbie and his team make lots of phone calls, check lots of emails, and do that thing that all politicians must do–ask for money. He sets up meetings with people who’ll be affected by his win so they know what he stands for: justice, equity, fairness…nice neckties. He has a lot, I’m just sayin’!

Robbie then told me he was going to show me something funny: he pulled out a Powerball ticket from his pants pocket. It was a $600 million dollar jackpot. “I’m a loser,” he joked, because he didn’t win the Powerball. I asked him what he’d do with a teensier sum: a $10,000 gift. He said he would get the word out about his campaign. I could tell he really wants people to know, “Hey! I’m running! And this is why!” So, he’d buy TV time, get other brilliant writers like me to get the word out about him and his run, and buy more walk lit (those cards candidates hand people). “Yes! Concrete things!” I thought. And a straightforward answer. You don’t always get that when you interview a candidate for office.

“I’m a father first,” Robbie told me over lunch. “Anyone who knows me would tell you that.” A lot of people say the same thing, and not that it’s not true for them, but I got the impression it was very true for Robbie. His face lit up when he talked about his time working for the Boys and Girls Club. And I sensed some nostalgia about his days as a Youth Development Professional or “glorified dodgeball player”, he joked. He also has an…innocence about him, a belief that his values–our Democratic values–can be realized, no matter how lofty they might seem.

For example, right out of law school, Robbie worked for the Law Offices of Peter Angelos. That firm made a name for itself defending children in lead poisoning cases.

“A lot of children with lead poisoning end up in the justice system,” he said. But he loves children, so of course, I could tell it was deeply meaningful to get to give a voice to ones who had lead poisoning.

The incumbent State’s Attorney in Baltimore County, Scott Shellenberger, doesn’t share Robbie’s values, what I think of as good ol’ Democratic values. And Scott’s running as a Democrat. Scott lobbied against repealing repeal the death penalty–and then when it was repealed, he spearheaded legislation to have it reintroduced.

“It puts me in the best mood ever, when I get to talk to voters. I’m a people person,” Robbie said. That’s why running for office during a pandemic has been a challenge.

Robbie’s been pleasantly surprised at how positive the reception’s been to his bid for State’s Attorney, despite the fact that he’s primarying a Democrat. He and his team have found that people either don’t know who the Baltimore County State’s Attorney is or are pleased to see Robbie run against him.

Positivity About the Pandemic

Byron MacFarlane, Register of Wills in Howard County, is a friend of Robbie’s. I asked him what he thought of Robbie’s bid for State’s Attorney. “We need progressive Democrats in office,” he said–and I know that’s right!. He said that he’s cleaned up a judicial office because of leadership that was out of touch with the public. “We need someone with Robbie’s vision and values to reimagine and reform the State’s Attorney’s office.”

What I was surprised to hear is that Robbie’s actually liked something about the pandemic: being able to spend more time with his two boys.

“I was at another law firm when the Pandemic began, and it really made me reprioritize,” he said. His wife had been encouraging him to join her law firm for a while. Both of them were working from home, so it seemed like a good time to do so. Now he, Mary, and their three and five-year-old boys were at home together. And they like it! And he’s a partner at McLiggot and Leonard. I thought it was a law of the universe: “When two entities related by marriage work together, they must come down.” Not so with McLiggot and Leonard! Mary had been wanting Robbie to join forces with her for a while, and now they have.

“Commuting to an office? Boy, I don’t miss that. And it’s really great to wake up and focus on getting your kids to school,” he said.

Robbie did his first year of college at Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College. He then attended the University of Baltimore Law School.

Also: We got the scoop on Tara Eisenhauer Ebersole’s series of children’s books.

“At first I thought I might go into family law, based on my experience with the Boys and Girls Club. I considered environmental law, because I was a big environmental activist,” Robbie said. “But, I ended up falling in love with my criminal law classes. One professor, in particular, inspired me.” And, a law school class is where he met his wife, although she doesn’t remember it. A while later, Robbie got a team together for a local bowling league. He asked a mutual friend to ask Mary McLiggot, his future wife, to join it.

Back at school, though, Robbie joined the Criminal Law Clinic. He was actually sworn in as a practicing attorney while still in law school. He loved it. He was a student attorney at the Public Defender’s Office.

Normally Colleen and I don’t include long quotes from people in our articles. But I had to when I got this response from Sachin Hebbar, Robbie’s campaign manager. I asked him why he wanted to run Robbie’s campaign.

“I have known Robbie for more than five years. I first met him when he helped our local grassroots action groups organize against a Baltimore County Council bill that deputized police as ICE agents. Robbie is very passionate about racial justice, and pursuing justice for women and children. He is very strongly aligned with my own personal values. I strongly believe he is our best option in the race and will be a great State’s Attorney. The policies of State’s Attorney’s office under Robbie will be in line with policies championed by President Biden, Speaker Adrienne Jones, and Council Chair Julian Jones, and the vast majority of the citizens of Baltimore County. ” Well, fine, Sachin, just go ahead and do my job better than me!

Something the old lady and I hear a lot when talking to elected officials is that someone approached them and asked them to run. They often first say no. But then they think about how they can’t pass up an opportunity to move their district forward, how it’s a real shot at making a difference. And so it was with Robbie. He said he that when he was at the Public Defender’s Office, he was on the Government Relations team. This required him to testify in Annapolis on bills that would affect people across the state.

Political Pasts and Futures

Robbie’s also been chair of the Baltimore County State Central Committee (BCSCC). So you can be sure he’ll work hard for the county: Central Committee, may we remind you, is no joke. It’s all volunteer and a lot of elbow grease. You have to really care about policy and progress to be on it, let alone chair of it.

“I want to make sure we dedicate our resources to preventing violent crimes,” Robbie said. He looked concerned and added that 2021 saw a 64 percent increase in violent crime in Baltimore County. I mentioned that I knew from my work with Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, that Baltimore County had seen its deadliest year on record.

Some examples of Robbie’s fighting for his–the party’s–values are his position on a bill that would have decriminalized possession of drug paraphernalia. “People should be able to have clean syringes. And they shouldn’t feel like they have to toss their syringes on the ground.” He also championed a bill that would make police chokeholds illegal.

These are solid, Democratic credentials. And humane credentials, too.

Also: See what Guy Guzzone told us about his life in politics.

I remembered when I met Robbie, then, suddenly. He spoke at a meeting of the Columbia Democratic Club about his experience on the BCSCC. He was passionate, well-spoken, and interested in hearing what we club members had to say. I thought, “This guy’s going places!” And come June 28th, he’ll be at the place called the Baltimore County State’s Attorney Democratic Nominee. I, for one, am excited about this. As I said, we’ll all be a little more free.

Thanks for reading! Check back with us here at rocoinhoco.com every week as Robert, Colleen (and pup, Moses) get to know the many facets—one each week–of this prismatic place called Howard County. We want to take you along with us, so follow us on Twitter at @rocoinhoco, join our Facebook group, and follow us on Instagram at @rocoinhoco.