Depression Led to Final Decision
Politician Says He Is Putting His Health First

By Cameron W. Barr and Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, June 23, 2006

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan's reckoning began last weekend, when he and family members decided that he would see a psychiatrist Monday morning.

Duncan's aides said he told the psychiatrist about a family history of depression and explained that in recent weeks he'd had trouble sleeping, eating and finding the energy to leave the house in the morning.

The previous week, he had spent hours at a time sitting alone in his campaign office with the door closed, not making scheduled fundraising calls to bolster his Democratic primary campaign for governor.

"The doctor did not equivocate" in diagnosing Duncan's condition as depression, said campaign manager Scott Arceneaux. After two days of meetings and reflection, Duncan reached a decision. "I can't do this anymore," he told his longtime spokesman David Weaver late Wednesday afternoon.

Yesterday, in an 8:45 a.m. call to Arceneaux, Duncan confirmed that he would drop out of the race for governor. His campaign staff finished preparations for an announcement.

A little after 2 p.m., Duncan stood at a lectern at the Executive Office Building in Rockville facing a room packed with county staffers and political supporters, who stood and clapped. Duncan smiled and seemed to enjoy the applause. His wife and one of his sons were by his side, as was his running mate, Stu Simms, a former Baltimore prosecutor.

Duncan read an eight-paragraph statement that talked about how his longtime passion for politics had not weakened during a time of personal struggle. He promised to "move Maryland forward to better things." But he said he wouldn't be leading that effort.

Duncan told the crowd about his diagnosis. "My family has a history of battling this disease, and it hasn't always been easy. For people who have not suffered from this illness, or lived with a loved one who does, they may not understand just how difficult this can be. It is difficult."

He said he would support his Democratic rival, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, and would finish his term as Montgomery County executive. But he added, "I will not be a candidate on the ballot for any office this year for the first time in decades." He left to sustained applause, but without taking questions.

Montgomery's politicians reacted to his decision with shock. "I'm flabbergasted," said Montgomery County Council President George L. Leventhal (D-At Large), a Duncan supporter. "I thought his campaign for governor was surging."

"Doug Duncan is the best county executive in Montgomery County history. He was the best candidate for governor of Maryland," Leventhal said.

Leventhal said he had seen no sign that depression had impaired Duncan's performance. Duncan's withdrawal from public life, Leventhal added, will put "into perspective what a tremendously effective public servant he is."

Richard Parsons, president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, cited what he called Duncan's record of accomplishment in promoting education, addressing transportation issues and revitalizing Montgomery's economy. "You've got to look at that and say, 'Wow -- the guy has done some great things.' "

Duncan's decision to withdraw "is a huge loss for the county and for him personally," Parsons said. "I feel for the guy."

Duncan is more of a wonk than a glad-hander, and he sometimes appears uncomfortable in situations in which other politicians might thrive. In retrospect, said Arceneaux, those moments might have been signs "that there was something more serious there than just nerves."

Parsons, who managed Duncan's 1998 campaign for reelection, said he is "not a naturally outgoing person. He's much more of an introvert and an intellectual."

"We had to work with him to get him to work a room," Parsons said, adding that Duncan has improved at such tasks over the years. Still, Parsons said, "He struggles on a daily basis to kind of come out of his shell."

George F. Griffin, director of the county's Department of Liquor Control and a longtime aide, grew up with Duncan. Their mothers were local Democratic activists who took their sons to public hearings and taught them the virtue of civic involvement.

Griffin saw Duncan Saturday night at a dinner party attended by many county officials. "He wouldn't spend time in any one room," Griffin said. "It was like there was a lot weighing on him."

"There aren't very many people that I know of that he confides in at all," said former council member Gail Ewing. "At the same time when you look at somebody like [former county executives] Sid Kramer or Charlie Gilchrest . . . they relied heavily on others to help carry the load, and Doug just took a tremendous amount on his own because that's his nature."

Staff writer Ann E. Marimow contributed to this report.