By Ann E. Marimow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 19, 2006

When Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) took office 12 years ago, he abruptly fired more than half of the county government's top appointed officials, making good on a promise of "wholesale change."

The transition underway now, as County Executive-elect Isiah "Ike" Leggett (D) begins to shape his administration, is more evolution than revolution -- reflecting the law professor's deliberative approach to governing and a shift in style at the highest levels of county government.

"I'm not looking for radical change," Leggett said last week. "It's more of an adjustment from a very good foundation we have."

As soon as this week, he will begin deciding who should stay and who should go among the county's political appointees. He has discretion to hire and fire two dozen agency and department directors, plus 17 deputies and special assistants who help run a government with a $3.9 billion annual budget.

The former County Council member has surrounded himself with a cadre of loyal advisers to guide him as he tries to pick managers who will help achieve a list of campaign initiatives: create more affordable housing, unclog roads and slow the pace of development.

Separately, Leggett has assembled a transition team of 120 people to assist him in articulating his policy agenda for the next four years, and he will begin a Hillary Clinton-esque "listening tour" with three town hall-style meetings before taking office next month.

The group draws from Leggett's vast Rolodex from 16 years on the council. Among the members are Clarksburg activist Amy Presley, former council members such as Blair G. Ewing, labor leaders, environmental and social services advocates and representatives from the development community who supported Leggett's Democratic primary opponent Steven A. Silverman.

That Leggett has extended invitations to such a far-reaching and diverse group -- three times as many as that of Maryland Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley (D) -- highlights his penchant for collaboration. The challenge, Silverman said, "is to be a consensus builder when you're the guy who has to stake out his positions first. That's what people are looking for. You don't always have the luxury of being able to take the time."

Even as Leggett laid out his ambitions last week at his transition team's first meeting, he paused to temper expectations and acknowledge the financial constraints facing a county with a population that is expected to grow to 1 million by the final year of his term.

A more complete picture of the county's balance sheet will emerge this week, when the state reports fresh county income tax figures. But already, a sluggish real estate market is putting a dent in the revenue that Montgomery collects when property changes hands. Finance officials have reported a 33 percent drop in transfer and recordation taxes, which could amount to a loss of $63.9 million in anticipated revenue.

As some revenue dips, the county's anticipated expenses are piling up. For the first time this year, the county must begin to set aside the cost of providing health benefits to current and future retirees, starting with an additional $40 million in fiscal 2008. County School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, joined by council President George L. Leventhal (D-At Large), are championing a $40 million plan to get rid of two-thirds of the county's portable classrooms by 2012.

"The budget issues are truly daunting," University of Maryland economics professor Mahlon Straszheim told the transition team that gathered at the Bolger Center in Potomac.

At the same time, Leggett's new administration will be responsible for negotiating contracts with teachers, police officers and other county employees, many of whom supported his candidacy.

"Ike has always said that he's prepared to support the needs of the workforce to keep them productive, efficient and competitively paid," said Gino Renne, president of the Municipal and County Government Employees Organization.

Leggett, who takes office Dec. 4, has cast a wide net in pursuit of evaluations of department directors. Interviews are being conducted by former council member Bruce Adams, who lost to Duncan in the 1994 Democratic primary for county executive; Chuck Short, a former county health and human services administrator; longtime friend and tennis partner Sol Graham; and transition team leaders Lawrence Rosenblum and Jennifer Hughes.

Leggett has kept his own counsel and has not personally signaled his intentions. That has set off rampant speculation and a rush of anxiety in the hallways of county government buildings where political appointees await their fate.

In general, Leggett said he is looking for experts, "people who are not rigid" and who share his commitment to an "accessible and open" government.

"Some people are providing a good job, and some are marginal," he said. "Where we need to improve, I'll make a change."

Duncan's aggressive dismissals in 1994, which he delivered in a series of five-minute meetings, were a major departure from the practice of his two immediate predecessors, Sidney Kramer and Neal Potter. Duncan drew sharp criticism from the NAACP and other African American leaders for firing four of the county's five highest-ranking black administrators.

Among key policy areas in which Leggett has said he would like to see changes are the transportation and human services departments.

Those offices, in addition to the office of procurement, are overseen by African Americans appointed by Duncan. It is unclear whether Leggett will make personnel changes in these areas.