The head of the Maryland Port Administration abruptly resigned yesterday, amid complaints from some top contractors at the port of Baltimore that his authority had been undermined by political appointments at the agency.
James J. White told Maryland Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan that he intends to step down to seek other "attractive opportunities," Flanagan said in an interview yesterday.
"I asked him if there were any circumstances under which he would stay, and he said no, there were not," Flanagan said.
White, who has worked at the port administration for 12 years and been executive director since 1999, did not return calls to his home yesterday. He has been lauded by contractors and lawmakers as a driving force in the port's economic resurgence in recent years. His departure, said Del. Joseph J. Minnick (D-Baltimore County) "is probably the biggest blow to the port of Baltimore in anyone's memory."
The resignation comes as some Democratic lawmakers are pushing to investigate the Republican administration's personnel practices. Some lawmakers say aides to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) have undertaken a campaign to purge state agencies of Democrats, particularly those appointed by Ehrlich's predecessor, Parris N. Glendening (D), draining talent and experience from some agencies.
Flanagan said the allegations "are harmful to the proper functioning of government."
"When you make exaggerated claims about the governor's personnel policies, people don't realize that the transition [between governors] has been very balanced," he said.
Ehrlich spokesman Henry Fawell said the governor has appointed countless Democrats, including some as Cabinet secretaries. "The numbers speak for themselves," he said. "The Ehrlich administration is the most bipartisan, diverse and inclusive administration in the history of Maryland."
Fawell also said the governor "is absolutely committed to a strong port and making it stronger."
This month, several Baltimore County legislators wrote a letter to Ehrlich urging him to retain White. Minnick, one of the letter's authors, said yesterday that the plea was in response to rumors that Ehrlich and Flanagan wanted to fire White.
Flanagan said he and Ehrlich never intended to fire White and never discussed doing so. White, whose salary was $174,000, has agreed to stay on briefly "to help with the transition" but has made it clear he will leave.
E. Lorenzo Di Casagrande, vice president of Mediterranean Shipping Co., one of the largest shipping contractors at Baltimore's port, called White's departure "a big loss -- for the shipping industry and Baltimore." He said White is "a guy that we can sit at the table with and discuss things intelligently. . . . We respect him -- all of our industry, not just me personally."
That's in sharp contrast to his assessment of some more recent hires, who he said in a Feb. 17 letter had contributed to "a complete deterioration in service and professionalism."
Di Casagrande said his company, which has a contract with the state through 2011, is considering moving some additional business elsewhere.
Last week, lawmakers learned that the port had hastily replaced its security company after the U.S. Coast Guard found that officers were sleeping on the job, abandoning their posts and violating federal security regulations.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Norman H. Conway (D-Wicomico) said White's departure represents another dent in the legislature's confidence in Ehrlich's personnel decisions.
Conway said he sees signs across numerous state agencies that highly qualified employees are being forced out, or are resigning, and being replaced by those with political connections but little experience.
He referred to a report last week on the recent promotion of Greg Maddalone, a former congressional and campaign aide to Ehrlich, to a position working on legislative affairs at the port. Maddalone has no college degree and no maritime experience, and his only work before his jobs with Ehrlich was as a professional ice dancer.
Darlene Frank, a spokeswoman for the port, defended the agency's hiring. She said eight people have been brought in, "roughly half of whom have maritime experience."
