Amid separation, Sen. Colburn's wife still supports him
Alma Colburn met her future husband on a blind date. It was April 1996, and her friend Thomas "Mac" Middleton, a state senator from Charles County, set her up with fellow senator Rich Colburn. Alma met Rich for dinner in Annapolis at The Chart House, but they didn't dine alone; Alma brought a girlfriend as a chaperone. ? "My girlfriend said, 'You're not going to see him again, are you?' I said, 'I don't know.' Then I went on to date him for three years," Alma Colburn said in an interview. "We were a good team."
The team has since broken up. After more than 14 years of marriage, the Colburns are going their separate ways. Alma Colburn in December filed for divorce on grounds of adultery. While she has since withdrawn that divorce filing, they have a legal separation agreement in place, she said.
Their marital problems, however, haven't dampened Alma Coburn's political support for her husband. In a letter received last month by The Daily Times, Alma Colburn, 48, gives a ringing endorsement of Senator Colburn, 64, as a candidate in this year's election. She writes how their personal life has no bearing on his work as an effective legislator.
It's also mentioned during a Feb. 7 divorce hearing that Alma Colburn, a Realtor who makes her home in Cambridge, was approached and encouraged by members of the community to run herself for the District 37 Senate seat. For that reason, the judge in the case agreed to seal the divorce filing from the public until the Feb. 25 filing deadline for the election had passed. The Daily Times has reviewed a transcript of that hearing.
Read the letter: Alma Colburn's letter of endorsement
When asked whether she ever seriously considered a run against her husband, Alma Colburn waited a beat before answering with a sigh.
"Not really," she said. "Richard's a hard act to follow. You should spend a day in Annapolis with him. You'd need roller skates to keep up with that man. I don't think I could do a better job than Rich. I don't think anyone could."
Colburn will be challenged in the June 24 Republican primary by Delegate Addie Eckardt, 70, who has represented the mid-Shore in the House of Delegates since 1995. Eckardt declined to comment for this report.
"It's unfortunate that our marriage did not work out," Alma Colburn writes in the undated letter. "However, the facts surrounding the ending of our marriage are a personal matter. Our private issues are just that, private. That being said, I would like to share with you that I feel it is a necessity for the good of the Shore to continue to support Richard as a State Senator."
She writes of his "undying burn in his belly" to help constituents in Dorchester, Talbot, Caroline, and Wicomico counties. She lauds his constant personal appearances across the district for various civic groups. She mentions his lobbying for much-needed road improvements, especially negotiations that led to the replacement of the historic Dover Bridge over the Choptank River, linking Talbot and Caroline counties.
"One particular time I remember was when he was made aware of a tragedy is [sic] district when we were driving," the letter states. "(H)e had to pull over on the side of the road to stop and call a grieving (m)other who had just lost a child due to an accident. ... Rich is quiet, but he is extremely compassionate to the needs of others."
"He made a mistake"
Alma Colburn said her husband did not influence her personally to write the letter, and he had no part in its contents.
"The situation is, people, they think I'm supposed to hate him," she said in an interview Wednesday. "And I don't. I think he made a mistake and I can't condemn him forever. People have come up and said, 'I'm not voting for him because of what he's done to you.' And I say, wait a minute, you're not voting for a husband. The divorce is between me and Richard, and I'm taking care of that.
"I just wanted to say, it's not about me and him personally, or about his mistake," she added. "No one's perfect. Have you ever done anything you're not proud of? I wanted people to see that he is a relentless worker."
In her divorce filing, Alma Colburn alleges Colburn had an affair with a 26-year-old legislative aide, Cassia Bethany Martens, who worked for him in 2010 and 2011. In an interview, Alma Colburn referred to this simply as "the allegations" or "his mistake." When pressed to explain exactly what she meant, she replied only that "he made some poor choices in our personal life."
For his part, Rich Colburn says his wife "wrote the letter from her heart," and "she believes everything she wrote."
"I believe the letter more than speaks for itself," he said in a phone interview May 28. "I'm fortunate to have Alma Colburn as my No. 1 supporter."
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Dec. 27, 2013: Alma Colburn files for divorce from husband Sen. Rich Colburn on grounds of adultery.
Jan. 3, 2014: The Daily Times publishes a report of the divorce filing.
Jan. 6: The alleged paramour Cassia Martens left her job as aide to another state legislator, Del. Kathy Vitale, R-33A-Anne Arundel.
Feb. 7: Divorce hearing in Dorchester County Circuit Court. A visiting judge seals the divorce filing from public view until March 1.
Feb. 18: The couple announces they reached a settlement to dissolve their marriage. The judge unseals the divorce paperwork more than a week ahead of schedule.
Feb. 25: Deadline for candidates to file for re-election. Alma Colburn does not file to run for Senate against her husband.
April 28: The Daily Times reports on the contents of the sealed divorce paperwork, specifically how Alma Colburn had been approached to run against her husband for his Senate seat.