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Utility Is Divided In Search For Chief
Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, left, and Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett plan to meet today.
(Richard A. Lipski - The Washington Post)
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Two of Montgomery's commissioners, former state delegates Adrienne A. Mandel and Gene W. Counihan, would not discuss the closed-door hiring process, saying it would be unfair to talk publicly about the candidates.
"All I can tell you is I would like the process to move forward," Mandel said. Asked if she knew when commissioners would revisit the issue, she said: "No. I wish I did, but I don't."
Montgomery's third commissioner, Norman Pruitt, has resigned less than one year into his four-year term. Today, County Council members will interview Leggett's nominee to replace him: Rockville resident Roscoe M. Moore Jr., a former assistant U.S. surgeon general at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Firestine said that rating systems are useful for narrowing down a group of candidates but that the ultimate decision should not come down to a mathematical equation.
"Our commissioners feel as strongly as the Prince George's commissioners," he said.
Even before the official search for Brunhart's replacement began, there was disagreement over who should serve during the transition. Miller said Montgomery commissioners voted against Chow during that debate, leading to the elevation of Deputy General Manager Teresa D. Daniell.
Chow, a Rockville resident, rose through the ranks to become chief of customer care, the agency's largest department. He contributed $200 to Miller's unsuccessful bid for the state Senate in 2002, according to campaign finance records.
Miller said her interest is procedural, not personal. "It's not about me pushing him; it's about us adhering to our process." She added that Johnson has "told his commissioners that he supports us adhering to and following the process."
For Johnson's part, spokesman James Keary said, "There's not an individual candidate that he is supporting. He supports the process."
Part of the hang-up is inherent in the agency's governance system. With three commissioners from each county and four votes needed to make any decision, there is no mechanism for breaking a tie. Legislators have tried unsuccessfully in past years to intervene and restructure oversight of the bi-county utility.
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