As the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007, Martin O'Malley introduced "CitiStat," a data-driven performance tracking system that improved city services and reduced crime, helping Baltimore achieve some of the largest violent crime reductions among major U.S. cities.

For his innovative, data-driven leadership, Martin O'Malley's CitiStat system earned the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, Time magazine named him one of America's "Top 5 Big City Mayors", and Esquire called him the "Best Young Mayor in the Country". In 2009, Governing magazine named him a Public Official of the Year. He also received the National Education Association's "America's Greatest Education Governor Award" and various regional environmental honors, such as the Climate Visionary award.