Johnson May Aid Council Ally in Job Hunt

County Executive Johnson said he will look for jobs for Hendershot. (Linda Davidson - Linda Davidson)

Prince George's County Council member Thomas R. Hendershot's last day on the council is Monday, but he may not be unemployed for long.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson is considering giving a county job to Hendershot (D-New Carrollton), who is leaving because of term limits.

"He comes in and tells me he wants a job," Johnson (D) said yesterday. "I told him I would try and find him a job. But I haven't agreed to anything."

Johnson said he has asked his special assistant to provide him a list of available positions.

"If I find something that fits for him, I will consider him," Johnson said.

Hendershot, 62, who joined the council in 1997 after a special election, did not respond to messages left on his cellphone and home phone yesterday.

Hendershot has been an ally of Johnson, often siding with him on issues, including a $30 million bailout package for Prince George's Hospital Center. Hendershot also voted against putting a charter amendment on the November ballot requiring council approval of county contracts over a certain monetary amount. The bill passed the council 6 to 3, and voters overwhelmingly approved the measure in a referendum Nov. 7.

The referendum followed a Washington Post story this summer reporting that Johnson had given 15 friends and supporters 51 contracts worth nearly $3.3 million.

Hendershot is one of several county officials whose use of county-issued credit cards is being reviewed by the Maryland state prosecutor. The investigation was prompted by an article in The Post last week detailing credit-card use by Johnson, members of his administration and some council members. The newspaper found that Prince George's officials charged items, including gym memberships, clothing and prescription drugs, on the county-issued Visa cards, a violation of county policy.

Hendershot was paid $75,307 annually as a council member, which is considered a part-time job.

His credit card expenses, which totaled more than $61,000 since 2002, included about $15,000 for food and lodging while attending conferences in Ocean City. He said he often took his wife, his four grown children and grandchildren and rented homes. He billed the county for half, he said.

Hendershot also charged the county hundreds of dollars in airport parking while he was on trips that were not county-related. He said it was appropriate because he was "parking the county vehicle."

Hendershot's credit card expenses as a county school board member were also scrutinized. He served on that board from 1984 to 1997. He had charged NBA tickets, dinner cruises on the D.C. waterfront and golf outings. At the time, he justified the expenses as "legitimate networking, professional development or what have you." He was forced to repay some of the charges after an independent audit.

Stan Fetter, a community activist from Accokeek, called it "bizarre" that Johnson would want to hire Hendershot.

"He's the last person off of that council that you need to hire," Fetter said. "He has no concept of how to handle public money. And that's not the job of the county executive to act as an employment agency to help out his supporters."

Arthur A. Turner Jr., president of the Coalition of Central Prince George's Community Organizations, a community-based group comprising 43 homeowner and civic associations, urged Johnson to think twice about giving Hendershot a job.

"He comes in under a cloud," Turner said. "I would prefer him to work outside of county government, which would make everyone feel more comfortable."

Staff writer Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.