Tom Morgan is bringing a primary contest to the most conservative district in the county, running for House of Delegates against nine-term Republican incumbent Wade Kach in District 5B. Mr. Morgan believes that the district marked by strong conservative values should have strong conservative representation.

Upbringing
Tom Morgan grew up in Charleroi, PA, in steel and coal country just south of Pittsburgh, in the small cape cod built by his father when he returned home from the war. He describes the community as one built on a strong work ethic with conservative principles, although almost everyone was a Democrat at the time.

His father was often out of work during strikes, so he did odd jobs to pay the bills. Although they probably would have qualified, his parents never applied for welfare. His mother thought it was only for those who really needed it. She believed that, as long as you were able-bodied, you should get out and work and earn your money to feed your family.

Tom said, “I grew up hearing that my parents wanted nothing more than for my brother and me to have a better life than they had. And that meant education. My father left high school in tenth grade, and my mother finished the eighth grade.”

Education
Tom attended Penn State University, receiving his bachelors degree in General Arts and Sciences. He then used the GI Bill to earn an MBA in Finance from the University of Baltimore, graduating with a 3.94 cumulative average. He was a founder and president of the MBA Student Association, and was given an award by the school for outstanding achievement.

Family
Tom married when he came out of service in the Army. Although the marriage did not last, it produced one son, who last October became a father himself.

Tom married his current wife Suzanne in 1994, and now spends nearly 24 hours a day with her, as they share an office at Wells Fargo. Tom said of his relationship with his wife, “We have a fabulous relationship. She is my best friend and we communicate extremely well. We think communication is the key to everything.”

Experience
     Civic/Community
Tom’s civic experience has included:

• United Way volunteer
• Soccer coach and Little League baseball umpire
• President of condo association

     Professional
Tom was recruited right out of Penn State by Equitable Trust Bank. Two months later, he was taken out of the one-year training program to become Assistant Branch Manager. Shortly after, he received a draft letter from the Army. Tom returned after the war in 1972 to eventually become a Senior V.P. with Equitable Trust.

1987-1990: started own business as a banking consultant
1990-1995: started another consulting business at the height of the 1990 recession
1995-1999: V.P., First National Bank
1999: Broker for Payne Webber
Present: Broker for Wells Fargo

Military Service
In 1968, Tom was drafted into the Army. He received an occupational specialty in military intelligence and was released from active duty in 1972.

Political Philosophy
Tom registered for the first time as a Republican in his late twenties after being released from active duty during the Vietnam War. He describes himself as a Constitutionalist. He said, “The key to our country’s success is to return to the principles of our founding fathers. Granted, it’s a different world today, but those same principles still guide us very well.”

“We’ve created an environment where people don’t fend for themselves anymore. That’s something we need to change, not through legislation but through leadership.”

Why Tom is running for office
“We tend to delegate government to politicians because we get busy in our lives. We do that until we see they are not performing within an acceptable range. I’m at a point in my life where I have some time to make change. When my grandson was born, that seed grew more. I thought, ‘This poor kid was born over $30 thousand in debt. By the time he’s 25, it’ll probably be almost $350 thousand. What chance does he have?’”

“I’m known as a numbers guy. I’ve also been known as an ideas guys. I am innovative, creating new products for the bank. I see no reason those same qualifications can’t be applied to state government. I look with anticipation toward being able to make some positive change for Maryland.”

Tom says he will not serve more than two terms in the House of Delegates. He said, “You become too diluted by the system after too long. Once you become part of the system, you become part of the problem.”

Most Important Issues
     Smaller Government
“It means getting back to what the Constitution originally intended. It means paring back on many of the things that the states are better able to handle than the federal government. The people feel less ability to influence the actions of the federal government because it is distant. Never did our founding fathers ever envision a day when the states would have to go to the federal government as Maryland just did to get $1.6 billion to balance its budget. The state will never tell the federal government it is too big when it is dependent upon it for its livelihood.”

     Fiscal Responsibility
“If you cut back on the size of government, you cut back on the amount of money the government spends. We have to balance our budget. By the time Governor O’Malley finishes what he believes will be his second term, he says he thinks he can get the deficit down from 10% to 3% of GDP. It is ridiculous to assume that 3% of GDP is acceptable, much less where we currently sit. All the economists in the world are giving us warning signs, and we are plowing ahead with wreckless abandon, adding entitlements like the health care program.”

     Personal Responsibility
“We need tort reform in this country. We can no longer look to the courts to redress every little thing that happens in our lives. We can’t look to blame everyone else. By tort reform, I don’t mean putting a cap on awards. That just addresses the symptoms and not the disease. We have to fundamentally change the way law suits are conducted. One solution is to get rid of the idea that a lawyer can work on a contingency basis. He should not be able to take 40% of the settlement.”

“You cannot live forever off the government. My father had a saying, ‘Never kick a man when he’s down, but never give him more hand than it takes to get up.’ Unemployment insurance and a certain amount of welfare are necessary, but too much creates dependence upon government.”

Campaign Activities
Mr. Morgan is building a campaign team currently and setting his organizational structure. More can be learned about his ideas on his blog Polifilogic.com.

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