PSC and Governor's Aide Discussed Personnel Changes at Agency

Schisler said the memos predated his appointment, and he couldn't recall ever seeing them. Besides, he said, he's not a secretary.

Paul E. Schurick, Ehrlich's communications director, said it was only natural that the first Republican governor in a generation would want to reshape state government. "Darn right the governor insisted on hiring competent, experienced people who were loyal to his agenda. Duh!" he said.

Schisler defended Chesek, whom he said had been attacked "savagely" and "unfairly" by lawmakers and former employees. Those workers testified last week that Chesek referred to himself as "al-Qaeda" and described his role as eliminating employees to make room for Ehrlich loyalists. Chesek, who refused to answer many of the committee's questions on advice of his attorney, said he played no role in hirings or firings. He said he only acted as a confidant for Schisler. Both men disputed the al-Qaeda remark.

Schisler said those who characterized Chesek as a "trench coat" man hired to "clean house" belong to the "Elvis lives" crowd. "ET phone home, senator, you and your wild conspiracy theories," he told Frosh.

Even before Schisler testified yesterday, there was unwelcome news for the commission. The state's Open Meetings Compliance Board found that the four commissioners should have met publicly with the governor's aides because the meeting was "intended to shape the outcome of the legislative process."

At the time of the meeting, General Assembly leaders were negotiating a rate-relief deal with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., whose customers face a 72 percent increase in July.

"The commission's role in approving BGE's plan for increased rates was at the heart of the political furor," according to the opinion.

The board's decision is meant as an advisory opinion and does not carry a penalty.

Ehrlich spokeswoman Shareese DeLeaver called it a "disappointing opinion" because the "so-called meeting stemmed from a chance encounter."

Democrats said the meeting fueled the impression that the commission lacked independence. "They weren't meeting with the Ehrlich administration, they were getting their instructions from the Ehrlich administration," said Del. Curtis S. Anderson (D-Baltimore). "There was a script and they basically did what they were told to do."

DeLeaver refuted that notion, calling it "a baseless accusation."