Timothy R. Ferguson
Timothy Ferguson (born January 22, 1955) was a Republican State Senator in Maryland.
Timothy R. Ferguson | |
|---|---|
| State Senate District 4 | |
| In office January 11, 1995 – January 8, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Charles H. Smelser |
| Succeeded by | David R. Brinkley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 22, 1955 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Political party | Republican |
Background
In 1994, Timothy Ferguson was first elected to the Maryland State Senate to represent District 4, which covers parts of Carroll and Frederick Counties. In that election, he defeated Democratic challenger George Littrell, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.[1]
In 1998, Ferguson ran for reelection defeating Democrat George Hayes Littrell Jr. with 55% of the vote.[2]
In 2002, Ferguson ran for reelection, but was overwhelmingly defeated by fellow Republican and former Maryland Delegate David R. Brinkley in the primary election.[3] Brinkley went on to defeat Timothy Schlauch in the general election.[4]
Education
Ferguson attended Eastern Vocational-Technical High School in Essex, Maryland. He graduated #1 in his vocational class of design-drafting. He later attended Broome County Community College in Broome, New York where he majored in Computer-Aided-Design. Broome Community College is part of the SUNY two-year college program.
He earned a Private Pilot's License in 1985 while working for Sundstrand Corporation in Rockford, Illinois.
He was fully trained in 2008 as a Lean Six-Sigma "Green Belt." He earned a "CMIIC" certification from the Institute of Configuration Management in March 2009 and a "CMIIP" certification in November 2009. He has spoken at ICM Annual conferences and formed a corporation, ARTIS Professionals, LLC, for consultation and implementation of program acquisition process improvements and configuration management.
Career
Ferguson was a member of the South Carroll Republican Club, serving as President in 1992. Outside of his political work, he was a member of the Farm Bureau, the Jaycees, the 4-H, and the Chamber of Commerce. He also is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association.
While working in the State Senate, Ferguson was a member of the Executive Nominations Committee from 1995 until 2000, and the Judicial Proceedings Committee from 1995 until 2003. In addition, he was a member of the Joint Committee on Investigation from 1995 until 2003 and the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families from 1999 until 2003. Finally, he was chair of the Frederick County Delegation from 1999 until 2003.
Despite his lifetime membership in the NRA, Ferguson has been labeled by some as supporting gun-control. This claim most likely stems from a proposed filibuster, which Ferguson declined on a gun-control bill in order to have pro-gun amendments put in place. According to Ferguson and others the bill would have easily defeated the filibuster in its original form leaving pro-gun advocates with no concessions. This led to criticism from NRA spokesman Greg Costa in 2002.[5]
THE COMPLEXITIES OF SENATE FILIBUSTERS:
Regarding the proposed Senate filibuster in 2000, the original "Smart Gun" legislation pushed by Governor Glendening would have prohibited new handguns being sold in Maryland without technology identifying the owner of the gun prior to being functional. As an engineer, Senator Ferguson appeared on my local and statewide media outlets decrying the feasibility of such legislation, citing electro-mechanical data refuting the legislation. The legislation didn't force the "Smart Gun" technology on police forces in the state, and pro-gun Senators used that omission in the bill as proof that a "Dumb Gun" was more dependable for purposes of self-defense.
Out of 47 Maryland Senators, 21 signed on to a filibuster against the "Smart Gun" legislation. At that time, it took 16 Senators to sustain a filibuster. When the Democrat majority had the "Smart Gun" bill removed from the committee where Ferguson had it bottled up, and where it would have died, the bill hit the floor of the Senate where it was immediately amended into a "Child Safety-Lock Handgun" bill and all the "Smart Gun" provisions were deleted. At that point, 7 of the Senators who previously promised a filibuster changed their mind, leaving 14 Senators (including Ferguson) ready to filibuster - two votes shy to sustain a filibuster.
Ferguson proposed four major pro-gun amendments, adopted by the 14 remaining pro-gun Senators unanimously, and the pro-gun Senate caucus agreed to forgo a filibuster if the pro-gun amendments were accepted by the Democratic majority. They were accepted and Ferguson spoke against the bill and voted against the bill. The major Ferguson amendments were: 1) Placing two engineers on the Handgun Roster Board; Restoring the NRA to the list of handgun trainers and deleting provisions for mandated State testing of handgun competency.
Senator Ferguson was also a tireless advocate for Juvenile Justice issues. He was responsible for major criminal justice legislation while serving on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. He authored the "Christopher's Law" bill which allowed Judges the option of sentencing a repeat child sex offender to life in prison without parole. This landmark legislation was signed into law by Governor Glendening in 2002. It was the first time a "Life Without Parole" statute was added to the Maryland Criminal Code in 16 years.
He has always worked as an engineering consultant, both in systems or product design and Configuration Management. As of 2007, he is a Configuration Manager for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, located in Crystal City, Virginia, and he resides in southern Anne Arundel county, Maryland, near Dunkirk.
Election results
- 2002 Primary Race for Maryland State Senate – District 4[6]
Name Votes Percent Outcome David R. Brinkley, Rep. 5,559 52.8% Won Timothy R. Ferguson, Rep. 4,005 38.1% Lost David P. Gray, Rep. 958 9.1% Lost
- 1998 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 4[7]
Name Votes Percent Outcome Timothy R. Ferguson, Rep. 18,978 55% Won George Hayes Littrell Jr., Dem. 15,656 45% Lost
- 1994 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 4[8]
Name Votes Percent Outcome Timothy R. Ferguson, Rep. 15,975 52% Won George Hayes Littrell Jr., Dem. 14,496 48% Lost
References
- Senator Ferguson Lies to Constituents say NRA
- "State Senate Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
- "State Senate Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
- "State Senate Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 3, 2007.