Preceded by Janet S. Owens Role Politician Name John Leopold | Succeeded by Laura Neuman | |
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Born February 4, 1943Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ( 1943-02-04 ) | ||
County Executive Leopold Verdict: GUILTY
John Robinson Leopold (born February 4, 1943) is an American politician who served as Anne Arundel County Executive from 2006 to 2013. As a Republican, he served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for 18 years. In 2013, he was found guilty of misconduct resulting in a jail sentence and fine, and he was suspended from office. He resigned on February 1, 2013 and was succeeded by Laura Neuman, after a vote by the Anne Arundel County Council.
Contents
- County Executive Leopold Verdict GUILTY
- Early life and political career
- County executive
- Misconduct in office
- Election results
- References
Early life and political career
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Leopold graduated from Hamilton College in 1964 with a B.A. in English. Before moving to Maryland, he was a long-time resident of Honolulu, where he served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1970 to 1974 and the Hawaii Senate from 1974 to 1978. Leopold was the first Republican elected to the Board of Education in Hawaii, where he served two years. He was also the State Director for Planned Parenthood while in Hawaii.
County executive
Leopold was elected Anne Arundel County Executive on December 4, 2006, after serving 18 years in the Maryland House of Delegates.
Misconduct in office
On March 2, 2012, Leopold was indicted on multiple counts of misconduct in office for using his county-provided police security to investigate political opponents, to remove campaign signs, and to transport him to public places to engage in sexual liaisons with women.
On March 7, 2012, David Holway, President of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers held a press conference in Annapolis to demand the immediate resignation of Leopold and the Chief of Police, James Teare.
On January 29, 2013, Leopold was suspended from office after being found guilty on two counts of misconduct in office. He was subsequently sentenced to a $100,000 fine and two years in jail, with all jail time suspended except 30 days in jail and 30 days under house arrest. He voluntarily resigned from the office of the County Executive.