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After Announcing Retirement, Attorney General Frosh Thanks Paula Carmody for Her Service as People's Counsel of Maryland Attorney General Frosh Announces Appointment of David S. Lapp as People's Counsel BALTIMORE, MD (November 9, 2020) – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today released the following statement after Paula Carmody announced her retirement as People's Counsel of Maryland. "From her years as an attorney with Maryland Legal Aid, as an assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division, to most recently serving as People's Counsel of Maryland, Paula's career has been defined by her commitment to public service and to the citizens of Maryland. She has been a tireless advocate for Maryland's residential utility customers, and her expertise has been particularly essential during the pandemic. We are grateful to Paula for her service to the State of Maryland and to Maryland consumers. We wish her all the best in her retirement." Attorney General Frosh also announced the appointment of David S. Lapp as People's Counsel of Maryland. David currently serves as Deputy Counsel for the Maryland Department of Health, focusing on regulation of the healthcare industry and providing advice and representation to the State Medicaid Program. As Deputy Counsel, he leads a team of attorneys responsible for representing and advising the Maryland Medical Assistance program, which provides healthcare to more than 1.2 million Marylanders with a state budget exceeding $6 billion. Prior to joining the Department of Health, David served as Chief Counsel of the Tobacco Enforcement Unit at the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland (OAG), where he was a leader in state and national efforts to enforce the national tobacco Master Settlement Agreement against the major cigarette manufacturers. Prior to his work with the OAG, David spent more than 10 years advocating on behalf of consumer and environmental interests in the field of utility regulation, first as a writer and policy analyst and then as an attorney. David holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. "David brings decades of experience in state and federal regulatory policy in the utility, tobacco, and healthcare industries to the position," said Attorney General Frosh. "He has spent the last 16 years in the Office of Attorney General, and we are pleased that he will continue to serve the citizens of Maryland as People's Counsel, representing the interests of consumers who rely on essential utility services." The Maryland Office of People's Counsel (OPC), created in 1924, is the oldest utility consumer advocacy office of its kind in the United States. The People's Counsel is appointed by the Attorney General, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and acts independently of the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Office of Attorney General. OPC represents Maryland's residential consumers of electric, natural gas, telecommunications, private water, and certain transportation matters before the General Assembly, the PSC, federal regulatory agencies, and the courts in rate cases, merger cases, service and reliability matters, energy supplier litigation and on other utility issues. |
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