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Eric D. Ebersole
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
Assumed office
January 14, 2015
Preceded bySteven J. DeBoy Sr. (12A), James E. Malone Jr. (12A), and Elizabeth Bobo (12B)
Constituency12th district (2015–2023)
District 44B (2023–present)
Personal details
Born
Eric Douglas Ebersole

(1958-05-20) May 20, 1958 (age 65)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMarried
Children3
Residence(s)Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
EducationCatonsville High School
Alma materUniversity of Maryland College Park (BS, MS)
ProfessionRetired Teacher

Eric Douglas Ebersole (born May 20, 1958) is an American politician who serves as a Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly representing District 44B. From 2015 to 2023, he represented the 12th District.

Early life and career[edit]

Ebersole was born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 20, 1958, and grew up in Catonsville.[1] He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, earning a B.S. degree in mathematics education in 1980 and an M.S. degree in the same field in 1986.[1]

After graduating, Ebersole worked for more than three decades as a high school math teacher in Howard County, at Wilde Lake, Marriotts Ridge, and Reservoir High Schools. He also served as an adjunct instructor in mathematics education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.[1] Among the awards Ebersole won during his time as a teacher was his selection as Outstanding Secondary Mathematics Teachers of the Year in 1987 by the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics and his selection as Wilde Lake High School's Teacher of the Year in 2002.[1]

In addition to his work as a classroom teacher, Ebersole was actively involved in a number of professional and community organizations. He was a member of the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics and served in a number of leadership roles in that organization. In addition he volunteered with the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce, is a life member of the Catonsville Historical Society, and served in a number of leadership roles in the Catonsville Presbyterian Church.[1][2]

Following redistricting in 2010, the three incumbent legislators representing District 12, which had formerly been divided into two sub-districts, chose not to run for re-election. Ebersole ran for the seat in a crowded primary field,[2] and was elected alongside Terri Hill and Clarence Lam as an all-freshman delegation to the General Assembly.[3]

In the legislature[edit]

Ebersole was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015. Since 2022, he has served as Deputy Majority Whip.[1] He has filed to run for re-election in 2022.[4]

In October 2015, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Michael E. Busch appointed Ebersole to a commission to study the use of standardized testing in the state's public schools.[5][6] The commission submitted its final recommendations, which included reducing the length and testing units for the PARCC test and giving assessments during regular class time, on July 7, 2016.[7]

Committee assignments[edit]

  • Member, Ways and Means Committee, 2015- (education subcommittee, 2015-; election law subcommittee, 2015–17; revenues subcommittee, 2017–18; chair, finance resources subcommittee, 2019, member, 2015–19; chair, early childhood subcommittee, 2020-)
  • Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2015-

Other memberships[edit]

Political positions[edit]

Education[edit]

Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2015 legislative session that would create a commission to survey and assess how much time is spent on testing in each grade level and each school system.[8] The bill passed and became law on May 12, 2015.[9]

Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would require the appointment of a full-time teacher and parent of a public school student to the Maryland State Board of Education.[10] The bill passed and became law without Governor Larry Hogan's signature on May 28, 2019.[11]

Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would require the Maryland State Department of Education to keep track of the number of students restrained or placed in seclusion. The bill unanimously passed the House of Delegates.[12] He later introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would ban the use of seclusion in public Maryland schools.[13] The bill passed and became law on April 9, 2022.[14]

Endorsements[edit]

Ebersole endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president on November 17, 2015.[15] Ebersole endorsed Ben Jealous for Governor of Maryland on August 8, 2018.[16]

Immigration[edit]

In July 2019, Ebersole attended and spoke at a rally outside the office of U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings to urge Cummings to protest against the immigration policy of Donald Trump.[17]

Social issues[edit]

Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would require school systems to allow students to participate in peaceful demonstrations. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 97-39.[18]

Electoral history[edit]

Maryland House of Delegates District 12 Democratic Primary Election, 2014[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Clarence Lam 6,307 21.3%
Democratic Terri Hill 6,059 21.3%
Democratic Eric Ebersole 4,427 14.9%
Democratic Rebecca P. Dongarra 3,782 12.8%
Democratic Nick Stewart 2,991 10.1%
Democratic Renee McGuirk-Spence 1,908 6.4%
Democratic Brian S. Bailey 1,576 5.3%
Democratic Michael Gisriel 1,246 4.2%
Democratic Adam Sachs 747 2.5%
Democratic Jay Fred Cohen 580 2.0%
Maryland House of Delegates District 12 General Election, 2014[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eric Ebersole 19,274 18.9%
Democratic Terri L. Hill 19,236 18.9%
Democratic Clarence K. Lam 18,568 18.2%
Republican Joseph D. "Joe" Hooe 16,171 15.9%
Republican Rick Martel 14,290 14.0%
Republican Gordon Bull 14,146 13.9%
N/A Other Write-Ins 110 0.1%
Maryland House of Delegates District 12 Democratic Primary Election, 2018[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Terri Hill 9,920 29.9%
Democratic Eric Ebersole 9,326 28.1%
Democratic Jessica Feldmark 7,104 21.4%
Democratic Mark Weaver 1,943 5.9%
Democratic Dario J. Broccolino 1,896 5.7%
Democratic James Howard 1,283 3.9%
Democratic Malcolm J. Heflin 892 2.7%
Democratic Jonathan Bratt 793 2.4%
Maryland House of Delegates District 12 General Election, 2018[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eric Ebersole 30,478 22.7%
Democratic Jessica Feldmark 29,427 21.9%
Democratic Terri Hill 29,313 21.8%
Republican Melanie Harris 16,536 12.3%
Republican Bob Cockey 15,141 11.3%
Republican Michael Russel 13,509 10.0%
N/A Other Write-Ins 126 0.1%

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Eric D. Ebersole". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Baughman, Julie (June 24, 2013). "Catonsville's Ebersole announces candidacy for District 12 delegate seat". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Lauriccio, Lauren (January 13, 2015). "Catonsville native Ebersole prepares for new life as a legislator". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (July 21, 2021). "District 18, District 12 Slates File for Re-Election". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Wiggins, Ovetta (October 27, 2015). "Maryland panel to review overtesting in schools is selected". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Tooten, Tim (November 17, 2015). "Hogan's commission reviewing Maryland school testing meets". WBAL-TV. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Tooten, Tim (July 7, 2016). "State commission submits final standardized testing recommendations". WBAL-TV. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Tooten, Tim (February 12, 2015). "Bill would form commission to study school testing". WBAL-TV. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "Legislation - HB0452". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (February 14, 2019). "Lawmakers Again Look to Add Parent, Teachers to State Education Board". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  11. ^ Kurtz, Josh (May 28, 2019). "Here Is a Capsule Look at 10 Bills Hogan Allowed to Become Law". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Shwe, Elizabeth (March 31, 2021). "Lawmakers Restructure the Role of School Police and Rethink School Disciplinary Measures". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Shwe, Elizabeth (March 14, 2022). "Lawmakers Consider Bill to Ban Seclusion in Maryland Public Schools". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Legislation - HB1255". mgaleg.maryland.gov. Maryland General Assembly. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  15. ^ Fritze, John (November 17, 2015). "Hillary Clinton unveils more than 70 Md. endorsements". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  16. ^ Zorzi, William F. (August 8, 2018). "Democratic Senator Expected to Endorse Hogan on Wednesday". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  17. ^ Boteler, Cody (July 2, 2019). "'I am ashamed': Crowd gathers in Catonsville to protest Trump border policy, urge Congress to act". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  18. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (April 5, 2021). "Bill Seeks to Bring Clarity to Rules on Student Protests". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  21. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  22. ^ "Official 2018 Gubernatorial General Election results for House of Delegates". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Ebersole