Carmen M. Amedori

Carmen M. Amedori
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 5A district
In office
January 13, 1999 – June 30, 2004
Succeeded by Tanya Shewell
Personal details
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) 1) De Paola (divorced), 2) Jerry Barnes
Profession Paralegal and journalist
Religion Roman Catholic

Carmen Amedori (born 1955) is an American journalist and politician. She was elected in 1998 to the Maryland House of Delegates for District 5A, from Carroll County. She served in the Maryland General Assembly until 2004, when she was appointed by Governor Bob Ehrlich to the state Parole Commission.

Early life and education

Carmen M. Amedori was born in 1955 in Maryland to an ethnic Italian family. She attended parochial and public schools. She graduated in 1977 from Stevenson University, formerly known as Villa Julie College; she also attended the College Of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Career

Amedori served as a paralegal for many years before becoming a journalist. She wrote for The Baltimore Sun and the Carroll County Times. She received the Distinguished Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.

She was appointed as a District Court Commissioner for Carroll County District 10, serving from 1991-1993. Amedori is a member of the Maryland Taxpayers' Association, the National Association of Legal Assistance, Citizens Against Government Waste, Citizens Against Big Charter Government, and Americans for Tax Reform. In 1998 she was serving as chairperson of the Carroll County Charter Board which she later led the charge to defeat.[1]

Amedori was elected twice to the Maryland House of Delegates (1998 and 2002). While in the State House she served on the House Judiciary Committee, where she was ranking member in 2004. She also had the distinction of serving as Assistant Minority Leader, as well as a Minority Whip.

In June 2004, the governor appointed her to a six-year term on the Maryland Parole Commission. In February 2010, Amedori announced her candidacy for US Senator, running against incumbent senator Barbara Mikulski, who has served for many years. Amedori dropped her bid for the Senate on April 16, 2010, announcing she would run for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, on the Republican Party ticket with Maryland gubernatorial candidate Brian Murphy.[2]

Two weeks later Amedori left the Murphy ticket, endorsing former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, Murphy's opponent in the Republican primary. She argued that Ehrlich had the best chance to beat current Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in the general election.[3][4] She said, "If there was going to be a loss to O'Malley, let it be Bob's loss."

That year Amedori moved from Carroll County to Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore to be with her 89-year-old Father. On 14 Sept 2010, Amedori was elected to the Worcester County Republican Central Committee. She is working to build the Republican Party membership in Maryland. She also served as Campaign Manager to a conservative candidate for the House of Delegates in State District 38B. Carmen returned to Carroll County in October 2013 where she has been a resident for 32 years and in the City of Westminster where she has been a homeowner for 14 years.

Marriages and family

In 1977, Amedori married Robert DePaola; they had two daughters together, Nicole born February 23, 1980.[1] and Kara born September 1, 1982. After some years, they divorced.

Amedori later married attorney Jerry F. Barnes, who then became State's Attorney in Carroll County Maryland.[5]

Personal controversy

In January 1998, Amedori was accused by her ex-husband Robert DePaola of child abuse against their daughter in late December 1997; the girl was 17 at the time.[1] Court records of his civil action show that Amedori was accused of slapping and threatening her daughter during an incident at a public mall in Westminster, Maryland. The court issued a protective order and awarded custody of the girl to her father, who lives in Fairfield, Pennsylvania.[1] This order was dismissed later in January.[5] After the dismissal, Amedori's husband Jerry F. Barnes, State's Attorney, characterized the incident as a "typical" mother-daughter disagreement.[5] Amedori and her daughter chalked it up to a hostile divorce and animosity from her ex-husband.

Honors and awards

Legislative notes

Election results

Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Carmen Amedori, Rep. 19,195   34.0%    Won
Nancy R. Stocksdale, Rep. 20,480   36.3%    Won
Kimberly J. Petry, Dem. 6,195   11.0%    Lost
Robert P. Wack, Dem. 10,520   18.6%    Lost
Other Write-Ins 49   0.1%    Lost
Voters to choose three:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Carmen Amedori, Rep. 21,969   24%    Won
Nancy R. Stocksdale, Rep. 27,665   30%    Won
Joseph M. Getty, Rep. 25,114   27%    Won
Ellen Willis Miller, Dem. 16,735   18%    Lost

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Official accused of beating daughter/ Protective order is issued against Charter Board chief", Baltimore Sun, 7 January 1998
  2. ↑ Wagner, John (17 April 2010). "Businessman Brian Murphy enters GOP primary race for Md. governor". The Washington Post.
  3. ↑ "Amedori drops off GOP ticket for Md. governor". The Washington Post.
  4. ↑ "Maryland Politics: Did Ehrlich force split of Murphy and Amedori? - Politics and Policy from Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington - baltimoresun.com". Weblogs.baltimoresun.com. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  5. 1 2 3 Sun Staff writer, , Baltimore Sun, 22 January 1998
  6. ↑ "House of Delegates Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved on Sept. 11, 2007
  7. ↑ "House of Delegates Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved on Sept. 11, 2007

External links

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