What to Look for in Maryland’s Next Chief Public Defender

After 12 years as Maryland’s chief public defender, Paul DeWolfe is retiring in June. As president of AFSCME Local 423, the Maryland Defenders Union, I know just how important the selection of a new public defender is, not only to the nearly 700 workers at the Office of the Public Defender but also to the hundreds of thousands of indigent clients we serve each year. But in the past, OPD workers have not had a voice in the selection process or in almost any aspect of agency policy.