First Lady Katie O'Malley: Multi-Media

MPT's First Impressions: Katie O'Malley

Introduction -- Background Video

Governor O’Malley:  First and foremost, I want to thank the most beautiful woman in all of Maryland, my sword and my shield, Katie O’Malley. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  You’re welcome. 

Ms. Feiken:  In her first in-depth television interview, First Lady of Maryland, Katie O’Malley, talks about her life in the public eye. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  No, we never thought we’d be living here.  I mean, I don’t -- I don’t -- maybe he did. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  There were some definite turbulent times when my father was involved in politics.

Ms. Feiken:  You are a mother, you are a judge, you are a First Lady.  Is that the order of importance in your life?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mother definitely comes first.

Interview

Ms. Feiken:  Katie, thank you so much.  It’s really great for you to do this. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  My pleasure, Rhea.

Ms. Feiken:  You notice I said Katie.  Everybody calls you Katie.  I’ve never heard anybody say Mrs. O’Malley or Judge O’Malley.  It’s Katie.

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, I like that. 

Ms. Feiken:  Good.

Mrs. O’Malley:  I do.  You know, I mean, it’s nice when you’re in the courtroom to be addressed in your formal courtroom, you know, ways, but it’s nice when you’re just being yourself to be called your name. 

Ms. Feiken:  Now, I’ll have to say, as we say in Baltimore, Ahon@, this is kind of a nice place here. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  We love it.

Ms. Feiken:  How different is it living here and living in your house in Baltimore?

Mrs. O’Malley:  It’s completely different, it is.  It’s completely different, you know, because well, first it’s a different city.  Baltimore is a great city and I grew up there and I plan to go back there when our stint here is up. 

But Annapolis is just a charming place, it really is.  And the people that we’ve met so far since January have been very, very helpful and accepting, Will’s made a few friends.  And it’s just been -- it’s just very different. 

Ms. Feiken:  And besides the four kids that are living here, there are a few pets.

Mrs. O’Malley:  Yes.  Yeah, we brought all of our favorite pets with us.  We couldn’t leave them back in Baltimore.

Ms. Feiken:  So how many dogs?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Three dogs.

Ms. Feiken:  Mm-hmm. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  Yes, we have three dogs and two cats.  

Ms. Feiken:  And the boys, I’m sure, it was an easy adjustment.  The girls are teenagers, how did they feel about living here and how do they like their rooms?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, they love their rooms, that was a lot of fun because they got to decorate their rooms and I told them they could do it however they wanted.  And they both have really good taste, so they did a marvelous job and they like it.  Because their rooms are up, like, on the fourth level, so they can have a lot of privacy.  Oftentimes, you know, if there’s an event going on at the house, they’ll just run up there. 

Ms. Feiken:  So they’re not anxious to be a part of it?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Not right now necessarily, because they’re teenagers.

Ms. Feiken:  Mm-hmm.  Just everyday life, like meals, when you were living in Baltimore and you came home and you probably had to cook when you came home.

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mm-hmm. 

Ms. Feiken:  Well, you don’t have to do that anymore here, do you?  The meals are prepared?

Mrs. O’Malley:  It’s great.  There’s wonderful chefs, three wonderful chefs, and they make anything you want. 

Ms. Feiken:  I have heard that you sometimes ask the staff to leave and you like to go in there and do the dishes yourself?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Yeah, it’s nice.  It’s sort of -- and, you know, or if the kids are upstairs taking a bath, Martin will take them up, and then I can just do the dishes and kind of be by myself.  It’s, you know, relaxing. 

Ms. Feiken:  Let’s just sort of get a typical day.  Here you are working, you have four kids.  So you -- what time do you all get up in the morning?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Six.  Which isn’t that awful, because back in Baltimore, I usually got up at 6:30.  So we get up at 6:00 and be out of the door by quarter of 7:00, so about a 45 minute turn-around there, you know, getting -- because  the night before I would get William’s things all laid out and Jack’s things.  And the girls are very easy, they just wake up, put their uniform on -- which is a great benefit of a uniform, they don’t have to decide what they’re wearing -- get downstairs, grab a cup of coffee, and we’re on the road by quarter of 7:00. 

Ms. Feiken:  And you still go with them to their schools, drop them off and then later on pick them up.  Why do you do that?

Mrs. O’Malley:  There’s a lot of things you learn when you’re in the car with your kids.  You know, first of all, you know, it’s -- I’ve got to go to Baltimore anyway, so it just gets me to work about quarter of 9:00, by the time it’s all said and done I’m pulling up around quarter of 9:00. 

But it’s nice, because the kids will be in the car and there’s some times they don’t have a lot to say, because it’s early, but sometimes they forgot that they needed money for a field trip or something, so, I mean, I’m there and, you know, they can tell me things that they’re going to do in the afternoon, if they’ve got some games scheduled or something.  So you do a lot of, you know, organizing and catching up. 

Ms. Feiken:  It isn’t unusual for First Ladies to move in here and do some decorating or redecorating, here in the public rooms.  Are you going to do that?

Mrs. O’Malley:  I’ve looked into having that done, because Mrs. Hughes had done such a remarkable job with these public rooms back in the >80s and, unfortunately, after their administration, the next administration just came in and changed it all, but not in any sort of systematic way.  So, things are a little bit -- need a little bit of tweaking around here.

Ms. Feiken:  And I also understand that you’re sort of interested in making them energy and environmentally more efficient.

Mrs. O’Malley:  When we moved into the house January 16th, I was trying to throw a can away with recycling and they didn’t recycle.  Nobody had recycled at the house, the prior administrations hadn’t done that.  So I said, well, that’s easy enough to do.  So the next day the -- here, yep, this will be for paper, this will be for plastics.  So we started that. 

And then I went to an event at the Ronald McDonald House about a month or so ago, where they had someone from MEA, Maryland Energy Agency, come in and do an audit to find ways to make that place a more energy efficient home for these families that are here with their sick kids, and it dawned on me that that would be a great thing to do here at Government House. 

And since, you know, the taxpayers are paying for this, that we make it the most energy efficient that we can possibly make it.  And find other ways maybe that we can make it a greener place, so that we can not contribute to the whole global warming and high cost of energy.

Ms. Feiken:  Great.  And it will probably give a lot of other organizations and even private families ideas about what they can do in their own homes. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mm-hmm. 

Ms. Feiken:  It’s really good.  You know, this is all sort of a chance for us to -- as the old song says, getting to know you.  So I want to start with you as a kid.  What were you like?

Mrs. O’Malley:  I think I was pretty shy. 

Ms. Feiken:  Yeah?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Yeah.  I mean, I had two older sisters, we’re all about a year apart, so when I say Aolder@, you know, that now we are getting older it’s like wait a minute, we’re not that much older than you.  But my two sisters and I have a brother Max and we were a really close-knit family. 

My Dad was in politics for ever since I can remember.  I think the year I was born he was elected into the Maryland Senate and then the State, up until just last year when he retired, in public service.  So we did a lot of campaigning for him and were out and about. 

But I kind of remember being a little shy. 

Ms. Feiken:  Mm-hmm.  When you were growing up, because your father was always in politics and I think even your grandfather and your uncles, they were all -- did you hear a lot of political talk in your house?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Oh, sure. 

Ms. Feiken:  And were you interested in it when you were young?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Some of it was interesting and some of it wasn’t.  You know, some of it just was down-right boring.  But some -- you know,  there was some definite turbulent times when my father was involved in politics.  I mean, our house was picketed by the Klu Klux Klan when I was about eight years old and I remember that.  And it had me very, very scared, you know, because they were such bad people. 

And I have a -- I’ll have to share with you, I had a political pamphlet that someone sent out against my Dad when he was running for the Senate, calling him an ultra liberal because he voted for interracial marriages and fair housing, as well as for kids getting to go to any schools that they wanted.  All those different things going through the Maryland legislature back in the >60s to try and rid all the racist sort of laws that the State had.

So it was interesting, it was interesting.  Having such a great Dad with such vision.

Ms. Feiken:  He’s also such a gentle person.

Mrs. O’Malley:  He’s a nice man. 

Ms. Feiken:  Yeah, he really is a nice man.

Mrs. O’Malley:  He is.  It’s so funny because, I mean, every now and then you’re going to have a political foe and he just never would engage in any of the -- sometimes, all too often, you see in politics nowadays.  He’s never engaged in that.  He was always -- stayed above and people respected him for that. 

Ms. Feiken:  And your mother is such a beautiful, beautiful and talented woman.  She’s a wonderful artist.  What did you get most from your Mom do you think?

Mrs. O’Malley:  I think -- she used to take us to the museums all the time when we were little.  So she gave us a real appreciation for art and for beautiful things.  And she’s a great artist, she’s very talented.  So I remember going to all these museums when I was little with her and actually liking them. 

Ms. Feiken:  Did your father being a lawyer influence you?  Did you, as a kid, think I want to be a lawyer, too?  Was it that plain?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, I wanted to be a doctor and I realized I wasn’t going to be able to be a doctor because I couldn’t do subtraction very well.  I don’t think I’m going to make it as a doctor.  And I would go to court with my Dad when I was little and watch him.  And I actually remember going only about two or three times and thinking it was pretty boring.  But then as I got older I realized, you know, when I was in college that I did want to go to law school. 

Ms. Feiken:  But do you have that same calmness that your father had?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Uh-uh, I don’t think so. 

Ms. Feiken:  You’re more --

Mrs. O’Malley:  More like my mother. 

Ms. Feiken:  Which means? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  She’s just a little bit -- you know, a little bit more animated.

Ms. Feiken:  I want to talk a little bit about love, courtship and marriage, favorite subjects.  I think you met the Governor in 1986 and you were campaigning with your father and I think he was working for Senator Mikulski at the time.

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mm-hmm. 

Ms. Feiken:  And you weren’t real impressed with him.  In fact, I think he was quoted as saying you blew him off.  So, did you and what was that all about? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, he always -- he recalls the first time that he actually spoke to me and I didn’t.  He said it was at this place and I know I was where he said I was, so it must have happened.  And he said that he came up and talked to me, but I didn’t have much to say to him. 

And then a  couple years later he was working as a prosecutor in Baltimore City and a very good friend of mine, Mimi Cooper, who is now a judge in Harford County, she was a prosecutor with him.  And I remember coming home from law school one night, because I was a night student, and I listened to the answering machine and it was from Mimi.  And she said, This really cute guy who looks like John F. Kennedy, he likes you and he plays in an Irish band, and he wants to meet you, so I’m going to, you know, be seeing his band play next week, you have to come and meet him. 

And I did and the rest is history. 

Ms. Feiken:  The rest was history.  What did you find most appealing about him?

Mrs. O’Malley:  He’s very funny, you know, he’s got a really good sense of humor and he could make me laugh.  So -- and that was a number one quality. 

Ms. Feiken:  How old were you when you got married?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Twenty-nine.  Yeah, 29, so we were older.

Ms. Feiken:  Real old, yeah.  So do you remember your wedding?  Was it just the most thrilling thing in the world?

Mrs. O’Malley:  It was beautiful.  It was a really hot day in August and we got married at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, which is a beautiful church.  And we had a great time.

Ms. Feiken:  And you must have been a gorgeous bride and groom.  I mean, what a couple.

Mrs. O’Malley:   Oh, you’re nice. 

Ms. Feiken:  Absolutely.  You know, I’m a little confused about the sequence of things and I think sort of other people might be, too.  About getting married, having kids, going to law school, becoming a judge.  What was the sequence there? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  We got married, we had Grace.  I graduated from law school -- I had Grace in February and then I graduated from law school in May, so she was a little tiny baby when I graduated. 

Studied for the bar exam and then we found out right after I passed the bar exam that I was pregnant with Tara.  So I had Tara that following March, she and Grace are only 13 months apart.  So we had Tara the following March, on March 17th, which was St. Patrick’s Day.  We had to call Martin, who was in Virginia singing, and get his sister to, you know, high-tail it up to Baltimore so that we could -- he could be there.  And he was there 15 minutes before she was born, so it was perfect. 

Ms. Feiken:  Oh, that’s great.  How long have you been married?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Seventeen years in August.

Ms. Feiken:  Then when you got married -- I mean, did you ever think then that this would be happening to you now?  Did you have a grand plan or a scheme or a dream or anything? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  No, we never thought we’d be living here.  I mean, I don’t -- I don’t -- maybe he did, I certainly didn’t. 

We were coming here for an event back in -- I think it was in 1999 maybe, right after Martin got elected as Mayor, Governor Glendening invited Martin to come to the house.  So Martin said, Would you like to come?  I said, Sure, I’d love to come to the house.  I hadn’t been since probably -- once when the Schaefer administration was here, I came with my Dad. 

So when we were walking up, we got in through the gate and we were walking up to the house, Martin was looking at the house, he was like, So, you like this place?  And I said, Yeah, this is really nice.  He was like, You want me to get it for you?  I was like, Sure, yeah. 

So he always reminds me of that -- I told you I was going to get you this house. 

Ms. Feiken:  What would you say so far in your life is the most outstanding memorable thing that’s happened to you? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  I think having my babies.  You know, I think those have been -- we always say that those have been our favorite dates, you know, when we’ve had the babies.  It’s just like magic when you have kids. 

Background Video

Narrator:  The 47th Mayor of the City of Baltimore, Martin O’Malley and the First Family.   (Applause.) 

Interview

Ms. Feiken:  When Martin was running for Mayor, can you recall at all what you were feeling standing up there when he was being sworn in?

Mrs. O’Malley:  The day that I remember clearly is the day that he announced.  And I drive by that location a lot, because it’s not too far from my courthouse that I’m in now.  And I just remember standing next to him and looking at him when he was making this -- you know, this announcement that he was running for Mayor and kind of being scared.  I mean, my legs were, like, shaking.  I was really scared, because I thought he’s probably going to win and it’s going to be a really tough undertaking, it’s going to change our lives.  And it really did. 

Ms. Feiken:  So when he decided that he was going to run for Governor, you said okay, go for it? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mm-hmm.  Sure.  I was 100 percent behind him. 

Ms. Feiken:  That was not an easy campaign.  That has got to have been really, really tough.  It was --it was ugly.  It was ugly a lot of the times.  How did you deal with that personally?  How did you deal with it with your kids?  I mean, especially the girls?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, they’re tough.  Those girls are tough.  And they were -- I mean, I give them a lot of credit, because in my job as a judge, I couldn’t go out and say, Please vote for my husband, or go fund-raising, to fund-raising events, so I kind of lucked out of a lot of it.  And William used to always say, You’re not even helping on this campaign.  I’m like, I can’t, you know.

But the girls were great.  They’re just very poised, very smart, and did a wonderful job throughout the whole summer.  They worked so hard for their Dad.  And so did William.

Ms. Feiken:  He was a great campaigner.  I saw him out there.  I mean, he -- he thrived on all of it.

Mrs. O’Malley:  I know, he’s a little scary. 

Ms. Feiken:  I mean, he’s like running for office already.

Mrs. O’Malley:  He’s a little scary.

Ms. Feiken:  What about when there would be really ugly rumors and they were printed in the press and people were talking about it.  How do you deal with that, with your kids?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well --

Ms. Feiken:  How do you deal with it personally?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Oh, it was awful.  It was -- it was -- I’ve never -- you know, that’s why when I talk about how elegant my Dad is and what a great statesman he is, it’s just -- you know, I thought to myself, this is just -- this is like the worst type of people, you know, to be doing this.  So --

Ms. Feiken:  Did they make you cry?  Did you cry?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, yeah, you know, because it just went on.  I mean, it was -- it’s one thing -- it was just such a determined campaign, if you will.  I mean, it was -- there was a strident effort to just keep this going.  And it got to the point where I would be at the grocery store and I would hear somebody talking about me.  And I’d be like -- or, you know, how are you doing?  People come up, oh, how are you doing?  I heard that you’re not living with your husband.  I’m like, What?  Where did you hear that?

And then we would trace it and we>d always find out where it was coming from and it was all --

Ms. Feiken:  But everybody -- the girls, the --

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, they knew the truth.  They knew that their parents were home, and that we weren’t fighting and that, you know, their Dad’s a good man and he loves me.  And that’s that.  And William knows that. 

But it was hardest, I think, you know, on the kids.  It really took a big toll on them.  So that’s why when they went out to campaign, they were -- they were working hard, you know.  They were very passionate. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  It must have really -- besides upset you, it must have made you really angry.

Mrs. O’Malley:  It did.  But you just have to -- you know, realize that that’s where somebody like Joe Curran comes in and says, Listen, you know what the truth is and don’t worry and -- he’s such a calming force. 

Ms. Feiken:  Have you been impressed with any of the famous people you’ve met?

Mrs. O’Malley:  I’m always impressed with people, so -- yeah, just about everybody that I get to meet.  I’m just trying to think of who the --

Ms. Feiken:  Now, what about Robert Redford?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Oh, that was funny.  That was right after Martin had just been re-elected his second term as Mayor, I got a call from Jed Dietz, from Maryland Film.  He calls and says, Katie, how would you like to meet Redford in Washington on September the -- whatever, it was the day after the election.  And I said, You mean like Out Of Africa Redford?  Like The Great Gatsby Redford?  Like that Redford?  And he was like, Yeah.  No brainer, we’ll be there, thank you.   

So I called Martin and he was like, Oh, that’s going to be the day after the campaign, I’m going to be tired.  I was like, You can take a nap, because you’re going and I’m going.  So that was really fun.

Ms. Feiken:  This is kind of like a loaded question, what kind of music do you like?

Mrs. O’Malley:  That’s -- yeah, I like --

Ms. Feiken:  You’ve got to say Irish music, Katie. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  That’s funny because I always tease whoever the Trooper is that has to drive with Martin, because he listens to a lot of really traditional Irish music.  And I do like Irish bands, I love U-2 and I do like some traditional Irish music, but I’m not nearly as hooked on it as Martin is. 

Ms. Feiken:  What are you proudest of?

Mrs. O’Malley:  My kids. 

Ms. Feiken:  Your kids?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mm-hmm. 

Ms. Feiken:  If you could do something other than be a judge?  I mean, in your imagination what would you like to do?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Be a kindergarten teacher.  Yeah, I think that would be a lot of fun.  I love little kids. 

Ms. Feiken:  You are a mother, you are a judge, you are a First Lady.  Is that the order of importance in your life?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Mother definitely comes first, you know.  Mother and wife, you know, because everybody hears -- I think in anybody’s profession that’s -- their family should come first.  And you have to just sort of marry that with your job and make it all work.  And I’m so lucky that I have the job that I have because it is something that is managed -- I can manage with my family. 

And then throw in the First Lady on top of that was a bit of a challenge, but that’s why I’m lucky there’s two people that work with me, Sam and Vickie, who I’m sure you’ve met, and they are a huge help in scheduling things for me, helping me keep myself organized so I don’t forget something.  If I’ve offered to speak somewhere, they make sure that I get there and that I know what it’s all about.  So I’m really lucky that I have that help. 

Ms. Feiken:  Well, you have to do some public duties as a First Lady. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  Right. 

Ms. Feiken:  And I think one of your first ones was going to the State of the Union address with your husband.  And something happened there, there were so many photographs of you, you must have been enthralled.  Is it true you fell asleep?

Mrs. O’Malley:  That -- that was pretty funny.  I actually got a kick out that, Martin was a little embarrassed, but I thought it was pretty funny. 

We went to the event.  The State of the Union is -- we were so, so happy to be invited by Speaker Pelosi, but it was late.  I had gotten up that day about 6:00 in the morning, taken all the kids to school, had worked all day as  judge, and come back to Annapolis, dressed, got to Speaker Pelosi’s office.  And he didn’t speak -- I guess the President didn’t speak until, what, 9:00 or 10:00, it was late. 

So it was hard.  And it was hot, very hot in there.  So I was fighting it.  I could tell I was going -- you know.  So they did catch me when I was like -- but I asked them for a copy of that because I thought it was so funny. 

Ms. Feiken:  That is funny.  I know you have some interests.  And I guess a lot of this is an outgrowth of your work as a judge, but truancy is something you really care about, I think. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  It is.  It’s something that I care about because, you know, as a judge I get adults in my courtroom, I don’t do juvenile cases.  But I get adults and I ask at sentencing if someone is found guilty of a crime, I’ll ask at sentencing how far did they go in high school and I very rarely get anyone that’s graduated from high school. 

And I’m not saying that simply because you graduated from high school is going to mean you’re going to live a crime-free life, but you’re certainly going to have so many more opportunities available to you. 

So the Truancy Court Program through the University of Baltimore began a few years ago and I signed up, as well as some other great judges in Baltimore City have signed up to do it as well.  And that’s where you meet with the kids in an informal way, so it’s not punitive, but you are a judge and you meet -- and you have your robe on and you meet with middle level kids, not the high school students yet.  But we think if we can get the kids when they’re younger and try to impress upon them how important it is for them to go to school, as well as the family member that’s responsible for sending them, because you can be found guilty of failing to send your kid to school. 

But rather than putting some parent or guardian in jail for 10 days, I’d rather just try and find some way of -- through this program at University of Baltimore -- of reaching these kids and trying to find out what aren’t you going?  Because sometimes you can fix it.  Maybe the bus isn’t getting there when it’s supposed to, maybe the kid needs an individual education program, the IEP, maybe something needs to be changed about that kid’s program, because they’re not addressing some sort of attention issues.  There’s so many things that they look at. 

Ms. Feiken:  I want to just ask you about your work as a judge.  What kind of cases do you hear?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, it’s great.  We hear all different types of cases for the -- in the District court we hear criminal cases and civil, small claims, torts, breach of contracts in the civil court, as well as rent court, which is an interesting animal all in and of itself.  I mean, especially in Baltimore City. 

And then criminal court, I do all misdemeanors, you know, drug offenses, minor possession -- which in the City is not really minor, because you can be charged with possession and you can have 300 gelcaps of heroin.  So, we’re talking sometimes people with a lot of drugs. 

And I do domestic violence cases as well. 

Ms. Feiken:  Are you hoping to be able to concentrate on one or two things during your time as First Lady, ways that you can make some changes? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  Well, that’s why, you know, we had talked about truancy and that’s an area that I -- you know, I think is important, as well as just having kids have more outside time.  I think that’s an initiative that I’m going to start working on, having kids, you know, in the inner cities even, coming and being, you know, to different locations around the State, so they can get to see the great State and get to be more involved with what’s going on in nature.  That kind of thing. 

Ms. Feiken:  I want to jump back to something.  Let’s go to the swearing in of Martin as Governor. 

Background Video of  Swearing In

Governor O’Malley:  And I will, to the best of my skill and judgment --

Interview

Ms. Feiken:   It was such a beautiful picture, you and your whole family there.  Do you remember what you were thinking that day? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  I was  very happy for him.  I was very proud.  It was a nice day, it was a cold day, and I was also worried about Jack, I thought he was going to jump off the stage, but fortunately he fell asleep -- you know, I mean, because he had heard the speech before, I guess, so he fell asleep.  So I was lucky when he finally did collapse in my arms, so I didn’t have to worry about him jumping over. 

Ms. Feiken:  Through all  these years of Martin’s climb politically, have you been a person that he’s talked to a lot about what he was going to do, decisions, problems he had.  Are you really involved?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Yeah, we talk a lot about what he’s going to do with his career, obviously, just because it impacts our whole family.  So whenever he’s made any decisions to run for office, you know, we talk about that. 

And then also when things happen, even in my job, I talk to him about things that happen in my job, and he talks to me.  I don’t -- I don’t take any credit for being a number one advisor, because I think he’s got a lot of great people around him to do that.

Ms. Feiken:  But you are involved sometimes?

Mrs. O’Malley:  Right. 

Ms. Feiken:  I mean, you have your opinions. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  I mean, if he does something wrong, I tell him.  I’m like, What did you do that for?   That was dumb. 

Ms. Feiken:  Well, Katie, you really are still so young and you’ve already had this incredibly full life.  What do you think is next or Katie O’Malley? 

Mrs. O’Malley:  I think -- who knows?  I think everything is perfect the way it is now and I think either we’ll stay here until his term is up and then probably move back to Baltimore. 

Ms. Feiken:  You’ve really been incredibly generous with your time.  We thank you very much.  And a lot of people have said a lot of things about you, but we thought that we would just want to get one more viewpoint. 

Background Video

Governor O’Malley:  Katie O’Malley is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.  She is an incredible woman, she is a very strong, capable and also compassionate judge and was a terrific trial lawyer. 

And she always keeps us mindful of what’s really important in life, is the family.  She often reminds me that, you know, it doesn’t matter what you do in your professional life, you have to be a good parent.  And if you don’t raise good kids, then you’ve been a failure in this world. 

And she’s, you know, a very grounded person.  She has her parents and her entire family, her siblings, are the nicest people you’d ever want to meet.  So, I lucked out on many scores.  And most importantly, that she agreed to marry me and put up with my stuff.

Interview

Ms. Feiken:  I think I’ve asked you all the questions that I can possibly think to ask you.  But do you have anything else you want to say to any of us, to the people who are watching?

Mrs. O’Malley:  I thank them and you for taking your time to come here and talk with me.  I’m just really humbled and we’re so happy to be here in Annapolis for this great opportunity for Martin and for the State.  So I’m just happy that you wanted to come talk with me. 

Ms. Feiken:  Thanks so much. 

Mrs. O’Malley:  You’re welcome.