U. Maryland’s Douglas Duncan resigns

ANNAPOLIS — Former Montgomery County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Douglas M. Duncan announced today he will resign from the University of Maryland.

The announcement comes weeks after Mr. Duncan said the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley, who defeated Mr. Duncan in the 2006 gubernatorial race, said he could not appear at a public forum to discuss politics with former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican.

Mr. Duncan, who works as the vice president of administrative affairs for the university, said university lobbyist Patrick J. Hogan delivered a message from the governor’s office that attending the dinner would result in him losing his job.

The following day, following a meeting with the university’s top brass, Mr. Duncan issued a terse statement that said he had misinterpreted the meeting with Mr. Hogan.

The forum with Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican who Mr. O’Malley defeated in the 2006 general gubernatorial election, was scheduled for Tuesday.

Mr. Duncan could not be reached for comment as of this afternoon and calls to his office were referred to the university’s press office.

However, university President C.D. Mote Jr. wished him well in a statement early in the day.

“We will miss Doug’s ability to navigate the complexities of local, county and state development issues,” he said “His command of the issues, and his leadership in moving our development projects forward, and his ability to engage our communities will not be easily replaced.”

Mr. Duncan, a vice president at the flagship College Park campus, is expected to start work with a private consulting firm in Rockville, doing much of the same work he was doing with the University System of Maryland.

“I thought he was a fine county executive and a good friend, I thought he was doing a fine job there,” said House Speaker Michael E. Busch, Anne Arundel Democrat, said about Mr. Duncan’s resignation.