John A. Olszewski, Jr.

John A. Olszewski, Jr.
one of the elections
Maryland House of Delegates
In office 2006 – present
Preceded by	John S. Arnick
Constituency	District 6, Baltimore County
Personal details
Born	September 10, 1982 (1982-09-10) Baltimore City, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Marisa
Relations	John A. Olszewski, Sr. member, Baltimore County Council
Residence	Dundalk, Maryland
Occupation	Educator, Works in Delegates
Religion	Methodist

John A. Olszewski, Jr. (born 1982) is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He recently began his second full term in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 6 in Baltimore County. Olszewski, after serving as a member of the Ways and Means Committee (dealing with education policy, gaming law, election law, tax law, transportation law, and horseracing), is now a member of the House Economic Matters Committee, which deals with issues of public utilities, insurance, worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, banking, science, technology, and business regulation. He also leads the 21-member Baltimore County Delegation in the House of Delegates as its Chairman—the youngest ever to be elected to that position.

Background

John was born the eldest of three boys to John Olszewski, Sr. and Sherry Olszewski in Baltimore, Maryland on September 10, 1982. He was raised in Dundalk, Maryland -a blue collar community that boasts of their industry and exceptional crabcakes. He graduated from Sparrows Point High School in 2000, where he was captain of the school's basketball team and editor of the school newspaper, The Pointer. While somewhat reserved, He was known for his kindness, humility, keen intellect, and competitive spirit. Following high school, He attended Goucher College (BA Political Science and American Studies, Phi Beta Kappa) where he met the vivacious and stunning brunette, Marisa Azzone, from Connecticut. They continued dating while He attended George Washington University (MA Political Management, Concentration in Leadership) and married shortly after his graduation. John began teaching at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts a year prior to his first election in 2006. In 2011, after 7 years of being a classroom teacher (Social Studies and Special Education) and a resource teacher, John enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Currently, and in addition to studying at UMBC, Olszewski serves as a graduate research assistant with the university where he collaborates on research regarding local governments.

Career

Olszewski was appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Education, serving from 1999-2000. He was elected to a term on the Maryland Democratic State Central Committee, serving from 2002-2006.

He served on the Task Force to Study Raising the Compulsory Age of Education to 18 and served as a member of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education. Olszewski was also a member of the 2009 State Plan for Postsecondary Education Work Group. He currently serves on Maryland's P-20 Leadership Council, the Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, the Task Force on Job Creation in Baltimore County, and as a co-chair of the Maryland Youth Advisory Council. In addition, Delegate Olszewski was elected as Chairman of the Baltimore County Delegation in 2011.

After serving as a classroom teacher at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts for five years, Olszewski served another two years as a resource teacher in the Department of Parent Support Services in Baltimore County. Currently, he is enrolled as a PhD student in the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC) Public Policy program, where he also serves as a graduate assistant.

He also has taught two classes at Goucher College, one on "Leadership for Change" and another on "Campaigns and Elections," and has lectured internationally on the subject of "Leadership for Change" with George Washington University's Governance Program. Olszewski is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Baltimore County.

Olszewski remains active in his community and district, serving as a block captain for the St. Helena Neighborhood Association and as a member of and volunteer for various organizations, including the Dundalk Renaissance Corporation and the Back River Restoration Committee.

Personal

Olszewski has been married to his wife, Marisa, for 6 years. The Olszewskis are members of the Lovely Lane United Methodist Church. They live in Dundalk, MD with their dog, Indy.

In the legislature

Olszewski has been a member of House of Delegates since June 12, 2006, having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by an appointment of the late Delegate John Arnick to the Maryland Board of Contract Appeals. He stood for election in September and November of that same year and won a four-year term in his own right. He served as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and its Education and Election Law Subcommittees during that first term. In September and November 2010, Delegate Olszewski was re-elected to his position, where he was given a new committee assignment with the Economic Matters Committee, serving on the property and casualty insurance and the public utility subcommittees.

Legislative Notes

• Voted in favor of Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)[1], which provides for a progressive income tax structure (and lowered income taxes for a large majority of Marylanders), and against an increase in the sales tax and other taxes (HB5)

• Voted for the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 (HB713), subjecting gang members to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000 [2]

• Voted for Jessica’s Law (HB 930), eliminating parole for the most violent child sexual predators and creating a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison, 2007 [3]

• 2008 Agenda [4]

• Voted for Public Safety – Statewide DNA Database System – Crimes of Violence and Burglary – Post conviction (HB 370), helping to give police officers and prosecutors greater resources to solve crimes and eliminating a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed DNA samples, leading to 192 arrests, 2008 [5]

• Voted for Vehicle Laws – Repeated Drunk and Drugged Driving Offenses – Suspension of License (HB 293), strengthening Maryland’s drunk driving laws by imposing a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years, 2009 [6]

• Voted for HB 102, creating the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup, leading to Maryland’s budgeting of $52 million to fund three new Medevac helicopters to replace the State’s aging fleet, 2009 [7]

• Voted for Civil Marriage Protection Act (HB438) - civil marriage rights for same-sex couples, 2012 [8]

For the past four years, Delegate Olszewski has annually voted to support classroom teachers, public schools, police and hospitals in Baltimore County. Since 2002, funding to schools across the State has increased 82%, resulting in Maryland being ranked top in the nation for K-12 education.

References

• "Maryland Manual Online". Maryland State Archives. 2007. http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/hsedist.html. Retrieved 2007-07-07.