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Senate Votes to Limit O'Malley's Personnel Powers, but Only a Tad
"It's not a great big, massive bill. It's fine-tuning of our personnel system," says Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), the bills' sponsor.
(By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)
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Ehrlich administration officials said 284 people were fired during his first three years.
The episode prompted an investigation by the majority-Democratic legislature, which resulted in a 130-page report in the fall concluding that the governor dispatched Steffen and other loyalists into state agencies to identify people to fire and that several employees were fired for no reason other than their political views.
O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said the administration had worked with lawmakers to resolve constitutional concerns and other issues in the bills.
"The governor has worked in good faith with the General Assembly to protect the rights of state workers," Abbruzzese said.
All of the Republican senators and one Democrat, Sen. James Brochin (Baltimore County), voted against the bill that limits the power of the governor's appointment office, saying the legislature should not tell the governor how to run the office.
Minority Whip Allan H. Kittleman (R-Howard) said he voted against the appointment bill because he thought it had no teeth.
According to the bill, the governor's appointment office cannot hire and fire, but "who's to say he would not tell someone else on his staff to be his czar," Kittleman said.
And Kittleman said a governor should have the authority to do that. "There was no reason for the bill," he said.
The legislation will be sent to the House.
Staff writer John Wagner contributed to this report.
