June 08, 2015
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recalled his nomination of Marcus Brown for commissioner of the state's police department on Monday.
Wolf announced the request to pull Brown's nomination from the state Senate in a statement:
“This morning, I submitted to the Senate a recall of Col. Marcus Brown’s nomination as commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. I continue to have full faith in Col. Brown’s ability to lead the State Police, and he will remain as acting commissioner.
“Col. Brown has been in law enforcement for 25 years and has improved each agency he has led. The Pennsylvania State Police are the commonwealth's top law enforcement agency, and Col. Brown has the experience necessary to serve in the role of commissioner.
“It is common practice for governors to recall nominations to allow time for additional discussion, and historically the Senate honors a governor’s decision. In recent history, three governors - Governors Casey, Rendell, and Corbett - have recalled four cabinet nominations and the Senate has honored those decisions.”
Brown's nomination drew the ire of current and former state troopers as well as Republican lawmakers for his status as an outsider to the department, as well as his role in a gun-control bill during his time as Maryland's state police secretary.
In an attempt to halt the mounting criticism, Brown penned an editorial on PennLive where he admitted he had made mistakes but cited his success in Baltimore and Maryland, as well as his understanding of Pennsylvania from his time growing up here.
The state Senate currently has a large Republican majority (30 to 20), while Wolf is a Democrat. Brown will continue to serve as acting police commissioner.
