Brian Murphy
The second of four children, Brian was born in Putnam, Connecticut. His father, the late William Murphy, was a manufacturing comptroller with Black and Decker. The family moved to Easton when Brian was in second grade. His parents fell in love with the Eastern Shore and decided to make it their home.
Brian's mother is a retired high school English teacher. Brian and his three siblings are products of Maryland’s public schools, and they are all proud University of Maryland graduates. In fact, each one has their name etched on the McKeldin Mall fountain as members of Omicron Delta Kappa leadership fraternity.
His older brother, Paul, was Phi Beta Kappa at Maryland, and is now a practicing anesthesiologist in Richmond, VA. Brian's younger brother, Steve, is a graduate of Cambridge University, holds a PhD from the University of Virginia, and is currently completing his law degree at UVA. His younger sister, Jennifer, has a nursing degree from Johns Hopkins and is a practicing oncology nurse living in Baltimore.
Brian graduated from Easton High School and attended the University of Maryland on an academic scholarship. He was a walk-on member of Maryland's ACC Champion soccer team and the President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. After college, Brian accepted a position with Constellation Energy in Baltimore. Over the next ten years, he played an integral part in growing Constellation into a Fortune 125 company, with thousands of employees in North America and around the world. While at Constellation, Brian was a member of the United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society, and took great pride in Constellation's positive role in the Baltimore community. He also likes to point out that the company he helped build paid hundreds of millions in federal, state, and local taxes annually, enough to fund the Baltimore City public schools. When Constellation overextended its credit obligations in 2008, it decided to pare down its risk exposure. As a result, Murphy accepted a severance, and founded the Plimhimmon Group. The Plimhimmon Group's first investment, The Smith Island Baking Company, has received national media attention for its conscious and principled business practices.
Brian's undergraduate degree is in Economics, and he has always loved reading the classic thinkers like Friedman, de Tocqueville, and Hayek. Brian has a passion for creating opportunity for all, and believes every American has the potential to succeed. He has worked with those less fortunate in Baltimore, Washington, DC’s Anacostia neighborhood, La Paz, Bolivia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brian has supported work with street children in Nairobi, Kenya, and through various aid agencies he and his family currently support eight children throughout the developing world. Locally, Brian serves on the board of PACT, a non-profit in Owings Mills which provides services to people with developmental needs.
Brian has an MBA, with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. While at Wharton, Brian reaffirmed his belief that free markets are the most effective way to address poverty, educate children, and create opportunity. Brian knows the government must play a role in caring for the very poorest among us, but Maryland's current policies of deficit spending are unsustainable and irresponsible.
In 2004, Brian married the former Joy Ellen Stephenson of Arlington, Virginia. Joy is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, as are her three brothers, and is a "retired" electrical engineer who stays home with their four children. The family worships at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda.
Brian's new direction for Maryland
Job Creation by COMPETING with our Neighbors
- Become competitive in the regional job market by lowering our corporate income tax rate to spur immediate job growth in Maryland.
- Depending on the poll, Maryland ranks anywhere from 45th to 50th in terms of overall business attractiveness; this is unacceptable given our record unemployment levels and our talented workforce.
Health Care which LOWERS Costs, IMPROVES Care, & INCREASES Patient Choice
- We all want lower costs, improved care, and increased patient choice. But Obama’s health reform accomplishes none of these.
- Only by taking an honest look at the root causes of health care costs can we properly address them. We must allow patients to make cost sensitive decisions, and allow them direct access to their doctors.
Educational Policies which PROMOTE Opportunity for all Marylanders
- Maryland enjoys the highest rankings for our public schools, but we must always strive for increased efficiency.
- Educational reform for lower income families is the civil rights issue of our time. We must never put the needs of the teacher ahead of the student.
Environmental Policies which PRESERVE Maryland’s Natural Beauty for our Children
- The Chesapeake Bay is an icon, and we must work with the private sector to bring about meaningful improvements in water quality and marine life.
- Funding for the Chesapeake Bay continues to decline, as does the quality of marine life. We must reverse that trend.
Energy Policies which SECURE our Sources of Production
- Being dependent on imported energy puts the economies of our state and our country at risk.
- We must encourage the production and development of all energy sources closer to Maryland, which will stimulate our local economy and promote regional job growth.
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