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Diana M. Fennell
Delegate Diana Fennell.jpg
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 47A district
Assumed office
January 14, 2015
Serving with Jimmy Tarlau and Julian Ivey
Preceded by Michael G. Summers
Mayor of Colmar Manor, Maryland
In office
2000–2010
Preceded by Michael L. Garrett
Succeeded by Michael E. Hale
Member of the Colmar Manor Town Council
In office
1995–2000
Personal details
Born (1967-08-06) August 6, 1967 (age 57)
Emporia, Virginia
Political party Democratic
Spouse Jeffrey T. Fennell Sr.,
Children Jeffrey Jr. and DeJanee
Residences Colmar Manor, Maryland, U.S.

Diana M. Fennell (born August 6, 1967) is an American politician who represents District 47A in the Maryland House of Delegates. She previously served as the mayor of Colmar Manor, Maryland from 2000 to 2010 and as a member of the Colmar Manor town council from 1995 to 2000.

Background

Fennell was born on August 6, 1967, in Emporia, Virginia, where she graduated from Greensville County High School. In 2004, she attended the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance at the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Policy.

Fennell moved from Washington, D.C. to Colmar Manor, Maryland in the early 1990s. In 1994, a neighbor urged her to seek public office. She successfully ran for Colmar Manor town council and was sworn in 1995. In 2000, she was elected as the town's mayor, where she served until 2010.

In 2002, Fennell ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 47. She came in fourth place in the primary election, receiving 13.1 percent of the vote.

In 2014, Fennell again ran for the Maryland House of Delegates, receiving the backing of state senator Victor R. Ramirez during the primary election. She won the Democratic primary alongside Jimmy Tarlau, receiving 23.7 percent of the vote and defeating incumbent state delegate Michael Summers. She received 52.1 percent of the vote in the general election.

In the legislature

Families Serve Act Testimony - Economic Matters (53545443874)
Fennell in the Economic Matters Committee, 2024

Fennell was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015, and was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee. In her committee, she serves on the election law subcommittee, the finance resources subcommittee, and the revenues subcommittee. She is also a member of the Prince George's County Delegation, Women Legislators of Maryland, and the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.

Political positions

Elections

Fennell voted for legislation introduced in the 2019 legislative session that would lift a ban on developer contributions in county political races in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Minimum wage

Fennell introduced legislation during the 2019 legislative session that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2023 and phase out the state's tipped wage by 2026. During committee hearings, the bill was amended to push back the full-on effective date to 2025 and to remove provisions to automatically increase the wage based on the national consumer price index. The bill passed as amended and received a gubernatorial veto override on March 28, 2019.

Electoral history

  • 2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 47th District (Democratic Primary)
Voters to choose three:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Rosetta C. Parker (Incumbent), Democratic 3,584   17.2%    Won
Doyle Niemann, Democratic 3,521   16.9%    Won
Victor R. Ramirez, Democratic 3,054   14.6%    Won
Diana M. Fennell, Democratic 2,724   13.1%    
Bob McGrory, Democratic 2,298   16.6%    
Lee P. Walker, Democratic 2,229   10.7%    
Lillian K. Beverly, Democratic 1,808   8.7%    
Fred Price Jr., Democratic 1,136   6.3%    
Theodore N. Pantazes, Democratic 323   1.5%    
  • 2014 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 47A District (Democratic Primary)
Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Jimmy Tarlau, Democratic 2,728   26.7%    Won
Diana Fennell, Democratic 2,416   23.7%    Won
Michael Summers (Incumbent), Democratic 1,740   17.1%    
Malcolm Augustine, Democratic 1,688   16.6%    
Joseph Solomon, Democratic 1,627   16%    
  • 2014 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 47A District (General Election)
Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Diana Fennell, Democratic 11,198   52.1%    Won
Jimmy Tarlau, Democratic 8,836   41.1%    Won
Fred Price Jr., Republican 1,424   6.6%    
Other Write-Ins 55   0.3%    
  • 2018 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 47A District (Democratic Primary)
Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Diana Fennell (Incumbent), Democratic 5,239   37.8%    Won
Julian Ivey, Democratic 4,504   32.5%    Won
Jimmy Tarlau (Incumbent), Democratic 4,104   29.6%    
  • 2018 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 47A District (General Election)
Voters to choose two:
Name Votes Percent Outcome
Julian Ivey, Democratic 15,981   52,2%    Won
Diana Fennell (Incumbent), Democratic 14,192   46.4%    Won
Other Write-Ins 429   1.4%    Won
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