By Debra Messick

CAMBRIDGE - Maryland Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman outlined numerous department firsts during her address to the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch on Monday, July 22.

Serving as the state’s 34th and first female Comptroller since January 2023, Lierman heralded numerous additional firsts she’s introduced to a department she’s focused on transforming to become more innovative, accessible, and transparent.

“While my term may run for four years, I’m mindful that the decisions we make will impact Maryland for decades to come,” Lierman said.

Right off the bat, on her first day of work, she confronted an actual bat infestation at the Annapolis office headquarters.

“At one point, there were 17 bats flying around,” Lierman said. With assistance from DNR, the endangered-listed mammals were safely removed from the building and measures installed to prevent a repeat.

While further addressing improvements to the outdated facility, whose bathroom fixtures hadn’t been updated since the 1950s, Lierman also focused on updating the department’s overall operations, revising its vision statement, and creating new positions.

“For the first time, we appointed a Director of Intergovernmental Affairs to work with our county councils, mayors, city councils, and aldermen (municipal lawmakers); they needed to have somebody within the agency who they could develop a relationship with and go to whenever they needed help with something.

Lierman also focused on upgrading and modernizing the department’s “end of life” digital technology featuring systems from the 1990s, during her high school years.

To improve the department’s digital interface “as quickly and responsibly as possible,” Lierman oversaw the launch of a new Maryl and Tax Connect Portal.

“For the first time ever, you see what we see regarding how your taxes interact with our agency,” Lierman said.

After an initial snafu involving sending passwords through the U.S. mail with 150,000 out of 200,000 returned, which she offered to the audience as a “cautionary tale” to those launching new IT sites, the agency successfully pivoted to register 126,000 participants, representing businesses ranging from one person enterprises to work forces of five thousand, she said.

Reflecting a new focus on outreach and data driven research, Lierman also pointed to “our first ever report” released on the State of the Maryland Economy, based on a series of round tables held throughout the state, including Salisbury, where input was sought from community business representatives.

Available on the department’s website, its comprised of economic research reports using agency driven plus additional government and non-government sourced data, “to provide policy makers, business leaders, and all Marylanders with more information” about agency-related and impacted issues.

Lierman also focused on eliminating procurement “leakage,” ensuring that the state’s purchase dollars go to companies rooted in Maryland, not just operating here.

In yet another first, the department partnered with Drexel University to create a Maryland Procurement Playbook.

Along with procurement, pensions are another key area of Lierman’s focus. Serving as Vice-Chair of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System Board of Directors, she is interested in identifying a data driven approach to retirement fund investments.

Mary Handley, who has assisted many county residents throughout her careers at the Dorchester County Public Library and Delmarva Community Services, currently serves as one of the department’s newly created Public Outreach Officers for the Eastern Shore.

“Even if you don’t have any other reason to like me, I hope you’ll like me for hiring Mary Handley,” Lierman told the crowd, who responded with laughter and applause.

Opening the floor to questions, Lierman responded first to the dilemma of finding affordable childcare by acknowledging that Maryland is among the fifth or sixth most important market, “if you can find a spot,” she said.

Noting the recent “difficult and challenging” cuts to the state budget, the childcare scholarship program to assist low-income workers had been preserved. “Childcare isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s critical to the overall economy,” Lierman said.

When Dorchester County Council President George L. Pfeffer asked about the state’s looming projected deficit, Lierman responded that while stronger economic signs over the past few months were hopeful, the suspension of audits during the pandemic emergency contributed to a three-billion-dollar tax revenue gap.

Limited compliance staff of just over one hundred, compared to Tennessee’s 375, has added to the problem of ensuring that all pay their fair share,” Lierman said.

Council Vice President Mike Detmer, observing that “one size doesn’t always fit all,” asked about solutions for small, rural counties in meeting budgetary challenges.

Lierman commended the Eastern Shore’s legislative delegation for working well together for the common good. But she also suggested looking to representatives outside the Shore to partner with on common ground and goals transcending geographic area.

Former State Senator Richard Colburn asked about the state’s transportation funding issues, raising concerns that large urban projects might benefit over the Shore’s urgent need for money to address bridges and roads.

Lierman acknowledged that with traditional gasoline taxes not covering transportation needs, the issue would remain a key concern over the next few years.

Garden and Garnish of Trappe catered the Dorchester County Center for the Arts luncheon.

Thanking the Chamber for the invitation to speak, Lierman told members "Our purpose is to support you, who are integral to our success as well. I firmly believe that we all do better when we all do better.”