Political party Republican Name Charles Boutin | Party Republican Party Succeeded by Sheryl Davis Kohl | |
Born March 7, 1942 (age 82)
Troy, New York ( 1942-03-07 ) Education University of Balti School of Law, Siena College | ||
Charles Boutin (born March 7, 1942) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 34A.
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Background
Charles Boutin was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1999 to represent District 34A, which covers portions of Harford and Cecil Counties. In and district that elected three candidates, he won the seat left open by Nancy Jacobs who ran for the Maryland State Senate. He shared this victory along with Democrats Mary-Dulany James and B. Daniel Riley.
In 2002, the district was restructured to have only two representatives. All three candidates from the previous election ran, but only Boutin and Mary-Dulany James came out as winners. Boutin did not finish his term as he was appointed by Governor Bob Ehrlich (R) in 2005 to become a member of the Maryland Public Service Commission [1] (PSC), the utility regulatory agency for the state.
Boutin held his position in the Public Service Commission until March 7, 2007, when, after allegations of exchanged e-mails with a suspected prostitute surfaced, he submitted his resignation. Governor Ehrlich appointed Sheryl Davis Kohl to replace Boutin as the Republican representative for District 34A.
The PSC had been highly criticized by Democratic Baltimore mayor Martin O'Malley during the gubernatorial campaign for proposing an increase in electricity rates of more than 70%, making the PSC a hot issue. Many have stated that the problems with the electricity rates were out of the control of the PSC members and its chairman, Kenneth D. Schisler, as the Washington Post noted:
"Republicans said Schisler had been turned into a scapegoat for a situation that was largely out of his control. They argue that a failed effort at deregulating the electricity industry by the heavily Democratic legislature was responsible for the rate increases of recent years." Boutin has since returned to practicing law.
Education
Boutin graduated from Siena College, the Catholic and Franciscan college in Loudonville, New York, in 1963 with a B.S. in economics. In 1970, he received his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Career
Boutine was admitted to Maryland Bar [2] in 1972 and has since practiced as an attorney. He is a member of the Maryland State and Harford County Bar Associations.
In 1997, Boutin became a member of the Board of Education for Harford County and remained on the board until 1981. He served as president from 1979 until 1981. He was a member of the City Council for the City of Aberdeen, Maryland, from 1992 until 1994, when he was elected mayor for the City of Aberdeen. He was mayor until 1998, when he ran for the Maryland House of Delegates.
In addition to his legal and political work, he serves on the Board of Directors for the RipkenMuseum [3] in Aberdeen, a position he has held since 1996. Boutin is also a member of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce [4].
His awards include the National Walmart award for Outstanding Leadership as a Small City Mayor, in 1997. He was also a finalist for the Outstanding Young Marylander by the Maryland Jaycees [5] in 1979.
In the Maryland House of Delegates, Boutin served as Chief Deputy Minority Whip from 2003 until 2005. He was also a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee.