O’Malley aide leaves to form communications firm

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O’Malley’s communications director will leave next week to form a strategic communications firm in Baltimore with a former top adviser to Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr.

Stephen J. Kearney, who has been with O’Malley during most of his ascension to governor, will team up with Damien O’Doherty to launch the firm on Wednesday.

Kearney’s departure comes less than a year after O’Malley (D) was sworn in and less than two months after the end of the rancorous special session that saw the General Assembly resolve the state’s projected $1.5 billion deficit.

‘‘It seemed like after the special session was a good time to move on and there is a great team in place in the communications office and the [entire] second floor,” said Kearney, who has been with O’Malley in two separate stints since 1999. He worked as the communications director for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2002 and 2003.

‘‘More than anything, the opportunity to be my own boss and build something from the ground up is very appealing to me,” said Kearney, who will join the board of directors of several Catholic organizations.

Kearney is the second high-ranking administration staffer to leave in recent weeks, following former intergovernmental relations director Josh White, who last month joined the Annapolis lobbying firm of Rifkin, Livington, Levitan & Silver.

O’Malley offered high praise for Kearney in an e-mail.

‘‘From Baltimore’s rising to Maryland’s return to progress, Steve has spent the better part of a decade helping to craft our message and vision of a better future,” he said. ‘‘During some of the most difficult times, Steve was always there to help us navigate those challenges. And, each time, we grew stronger.”

The departure of Kearney and White so early in O’Malley’s term is a jolt and sparks some questions about leadership on the second floor, said one Annapolis insider who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

‘‘It’s a little strange that everyone is cashing in this early,” the insider said. ‘‘This will really raise some eyebrows.”

Since leaving Smith’s office in 2006, O’Doherty has set up a lobbying arm for the Baltimore law firm Gildea & Schmidt LLC. He has also been general counsel and government affairs vice president for the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors and had several staff jobs in the state Senate.

The firm, Kearney O’Doherty Public Affairs, will provide traditional public relations where ‘‘issues of politics, government, business and media intersect.”

‘‘All of these disparate worlds are becoming more complicated and more compressed,” Kearney said.

While both are well known around State Circle, O’Doherty said the men want to branch out beyond their Annapolis contacts.

‘‘We don’t want to just be an access point,” he said. ‘‘Access is commonplace in Annapolis, and clients expect much more. They want a vision and a plan for implementation.”

O’Malley’s press secretary Rick Abbruzzese will serve as acting communications director until a full hiring search can be conducted.