Ex-Official's Role Prompts Speculation

By Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 17, 2008

Is the former director of the Department of Environmental Resources back to work for the county, dispatched to provide administrative support to the newly formed Prince George's County Hospital Authority?

The answer seems to be "No, she isn't." At least, not yet. But maybe soon.

Donna M.P. Wilson, a lawyer who stepped down as head of the county's permitting and environmental division in late 2006, attended the first meeting of the authority this month.

Authority Chairman Kenneth E. Glover said he thinks Wilson was there on behalf of the county, working under a contract to provide support to the group. In addition, the governor sent a staffer to assist the group, which was appointed by the state and the county. The governor's representative did not need to be hired for the task because he was on state payroll.

Wilson and county spokesman John Erzen said she does not have a contract with the county. Wilson indicated that she anticipates receiving one soon, to help the authority hammer out its "policies and procedures." She noted that she spent 16 years as general counsel of hospitals and has a background in the industry.

But state law gives the authority, which was formed to conduct a bidding process to find new owners for the county's ailing hospital system, money to hire staff members and consultants.

A contract to Wilson might raise some eyebrows because the county is committed to spending $12 million this year and next to prop up the hospital system and probably millions more in the future. Some are grumbling that the county can't afford it at a time of budget shortfalls.

In addition, Wilson's tenure at DER got mixed reviews. Some environmentalists said that they thought the county's storm water management system eroded under her watch and that they were disappointed that Wilson had been named head of the agency because she did not have any experience in the area.

She had been a campaign contributor to County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) and was a sorority sister of Johnson's wife.

Union Spurns Talks on Pay

Members of AFSCME, which represents 2,000 county employees, voted last week to reject a request by county leaders to renegotiate the terms of their contract.

Facing a $48 million budget shortfall in the tightening economy, Johnson had asked all county employee unions to return to the negotiating table to talk about reducing the sizes of their raises for the coming year. Without talks, Johnson said, it might be necessary to lay off some workers.

But Wanda Shelton Martin, a staff representative for the union, said about 350 employees met last week and rejected that ultimatum. She said employees need their contracted raises, which amount to 2.5 percent for the increase in the cost of living and 3.5 percent in merit increases, to pay for the rising prices of gas and food. She said workers think the county can trim costs without resorting to taking back employee raises.

"Our considered opinion is that the revenue decline that you now predict is neither new in its origin nor unexpected," AFSCME Council 67 Executive Director Glenard S. Middleton Sr. wrote in a letter to Johnson. "We will not 'reopen' or approve of concessions to those contracts. It is the County's obligation to pay its bills when and as they come due, just as we must pay ours for our households."

Shelton Martin noted that the county sets aside about 7 percent of revenue each year in a rainy day fund, although the county charter requires a savings rate of 5 percent.

"The rainy day funds can be used for operations," she said. "If you can't pay your workers running your county, I think it's raining."

She said workers also were upset because there has been no official announcement that the nine County Council members and Johnson will forgo their cost-of-living raises this year. According to county law, Johnson and the council receive a cost-of-living increase each Dec. 1 that is tied to the annual increase in the D.C. area Consumer Price Index.

Erzen said he thinks the council and Johnson intend to share the hit when the unions agree to a deal. But according to the county's charter, a vote by council members to increase or decrease pay for themselves or the executive cannot take effect until after an election-- in this case, until after 2010.

Other county unions, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the professional firefighters association, have not announced how they will respond to Johnson's request to reopen their contracts. Erzen said negotiations are ongoing.

"We are going to continue to talk to all of them in hopes of reaching a mutual agreement," he said.

Event Helps Iraqi Family

Del. Justin D. Ross (D) said that about 500 people showed up for his annual summer campaign fundraiser last week, including "four for four" among statewide elected leaders.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and Comptroller Peter Franchot-- all Democrats -- were in attendance at the American Legion Post 136 in Greenbelt. Ross said the event raised about $50,000 for his campaign coffers.

A silent auction at the event benefited an Iraqi refugee family living in his district, Ross said. Nazar Joodi lost his arm in 1994 in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. He received a prosthetic limb in 2004 under a program designed to help Iraqis who had suffered under Saddam. But upon returning to Iraq after being fitted with the arm, Joodi and his family faced threats and intimidation from those who saw the artificial limb as a sign that the Joodis were collaborating with the Americans. They settled in Hyattsville in the spring under refugee status and are trying to start a new life.

Ross said the auction raised about $1,000 for the family and gave the Joodis a chance to meet influential people.

"There were a lot of business people and community activists in the room who agreed to help them," he said.

2 Panels Eyed for Edwards

U.S. Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) has received her probable committee assignments.

Edwards, who was sworn in to Congress on June 19 after winning a special election in Maryland's 4th Congressional District, was recommended to serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee made the recommendations.

In a statement, Edwards called the potential assignments "tremendous" and said she looked forward to working on the panels.