Peter O'Malley Leaving Rawlings-Blake Administration

Peter O’Malley, brother of Gov. Martin O’Malley, is stepping down as Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s chief of staff after less than a year on the job.

Peter O’Malley is leaving the administration to become counsel at Venable LLP, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.  He will leave the administration effective April 6.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter for his service to the City and my administration,” Rawlings-Blake said in the release. “Peter came in at a critical time and made important changes and structural improvements that will have lasting, positive impact going forward. We are all grateful for his contribution to focusing our efforts to get Baltimore growing again, and for his helping to mentor, promote, and attract new leaders to serve in my administration.”

Thomasina Hiers will serve as the acting chief of staff until a replacement is found. She currently serves as the deputy chief of staff.

Peter O’Malley, a Mount Washington resident, previously served as chief of staff to former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith. He also held a grant-funded position that helped his brother, then-Mayor Martin O'Malley, establish Baltimore’s statistics driven accountability tool CitiStat. In addition, he started a small business, GovStat, that built CitiStat-like systems for other U.S. and international cities.

He joined the Rawlings-Blake administration in May 2011.

“It has been a great honor and privilege to serve Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the citizens of Baltimore,” O’Malley said in the news release. “The Mayor is in a strong position to build on the City’s many successes reducing crime, improving schools, and strengthening our neighborhoods. I look forward to continuing our friendship and fully supporting her efforts.”