Delegate Lisanti Should Resign: Hogan, Glassman, ACLU, More

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Calls for the resignation of Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti are growing louder. The Havre de Grace native who has been a state delegate since 2015 is accused of using a racial slur in conversation with a fellow lawmaker.

House Speaker Mike Busch said that Lisanti apologized Tuesday to the House Democratic Caucus for her use of the n-word. He removed her as chairwoman of the Unemployment Insurance Subcommittee.

Lisanti referenced a section of Prince George's County as a "n----- district," while speaking with a fellow white lawmaker last month at an Annapolis cigar bar, according to The Washington Post.

"I deeply apologize to the citizens of my district, people of Maryland, all of my colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly and everyone reading this for my word choice several weeks ago. I am sickened that a word that is not in my vocabulary came out of my mouth. It does not represent my belief system, my life's work or what is my heart," Lisanti said in a statement on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Although she has apologized for the racial slur, several local and state leaders are calling for her to step down.

"Mary Ann Lisanti needs to resign immediately," Congressman Anthony G. Brown, who represents Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties, said in a statement Wednesday. "Ms. Lisanti’s use of a racial slur and her inability to fully grasp the offensiveness of the word has demonstrated that she clearly cannot represent the voters in Harford County who put her in office. Every public official must stand for the values of equality and inclusion that unite Maryland families from all backgrounds."

Added Brown, who is a Democrat and member of the Congressional Black Caucus: “In 2019, we should not have to explain the seriousness of using this epithet. This hateful word was, and is still callously used in an effort to dehumanize black Americans. The racism evoked by this word is all too real, and it has no place in anyone’s vocabulary. I am honored to represent the people of Prince George’s County, and I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland in their call for Delegate Lisanti to resign.”

Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who represents Carroll, Frederick and Montgomery counties, also encouraged Lisanti to step down. "For too long, racial slurs have been used to oppress people of color," Van Hollen said. "Public servants that use this type of bigoted language should be held accountable. Words have consequences. Delegate Lisanti must do the right thing and resign."

Leaders in both parties have echoed the condemnation of the racial slur.

"The language of racism and hate has no place in our public discourse. Any public official who engages in this reprehensible conduct should do the right thing and step down," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, tweeted on Wednesday.

“I am deeply disappointed in Del. Lisanti and concur with the calls for her resignation coming from her constituents and leaders in Maryland’s African American community," Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, a Republican from Lisanti's district, said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

Others calling for Lisanti's resignation are the ACLU, Maryland Democratic Party, Maryland Republican Party and the African American Democratic Club of Maryland, WJZ reported.

In addition, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has said that Lisanti needs to step down, The Baltimore Sun reported.

RELATED: Harford State Legislator Apologizes For Using Racial Slur