Del. Dana M. Stein (D-11th) has been called “the Quiet Warrior of Baltimore County” by his Annapolis colleagues and constituents for his steadfast and unobtrusive work in the state legislature.
As a result, Stein — whose district includes Pikesville,Owings Mills, Randallstown, Glyndon, Lutherville and Timonium — was recentlypresented the Casper R. Taylor Jr. Founder’s Award by Speakerof the House Adrienne A. Jones.
Taylor served as speakerof the house from 1994 to 2003. The award named in his honor is presented annually to a memberof the House of Delegates who shows a “steadfast commitment to publicservice and the integrity of this great institution.”
Previous recipients of the award include Jones, Del. Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg (D-41st) and the late Del. John S. Arnick (D-6th and 7th). Arnick was the first recipient of the award in 2003.
A Northwest Baltimore County native, Stein, 61, lives in Pikesville with his wife, Margaret Presley, and their three children. He received his bachelor’s degree in government at Harvard University and his law degree from Columbia Law School.
Stein is the founder and executive director of Civic Works, a nonprofit created in 1993 to strengthen Baltimore’s neighborhoods through community service, education and skills development.
He first served in the House of Delegates from 2002-2003 and assumed his current office in 2007. Stein serves as vice chairman of the environment and transportation committee.
In her presentation of the award, Jones characterized Stein as “someone who has embodied the quiet work of legislating — without fanfare and without asking for recognition. This person has the respect of every single person of this house. Their work ethic and willingness to take on complicated projects — working with Democrats and Republicans alike to get the job done. …
“This person has worked tirelessly to ensurelabor rights are preserved; to protect our environment for our children; andinvesting in a quality of life for every Marylander regardless of age,” Jonessaid of Stein.
In a Facebook post, Stein expressed his surprised and delight in receiving the award. “I want to thank Speaker Adrienne Jones and the selection committee for this award,” he wrote. “I am very appreciative! Thanks also to the cheering section who showed up in the gallery!”
The Baltimore Jewish Council posted, “We would like to wish a big mazel tov to our good friend Delegate Dana Stein who was awarded the Casper R. Taylor, Jr. Founder’s Award for his many years of dedicated service. We are proud to have worked closely with Delegate Stein on a number of issues important to the community such as supporting Israel, the environment and vital funding for The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore projects.”