An underdog challenger for Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith?s seat says the county?s hiring and firing policies ? and the oversight of an allegedly retaliatory budget director ? are to blame formuch of the county?s problems.
In today?s Democratic primary, Smith faces Ronald Harvey, a county personnel analyst who says fellow employees risk their jobs when they question their superiors? decisions. Under the guidance of the county?s longtime budget director, Fred Homan, the protections of merit system employees aren?t being enforced, he said.
“If you have the protections the merit system allows, I?m certain you?d have a check on development,” Harvey said. “You?d have people speaking out against proposed road widths, sewage plans, buffers, you name it.”
Homan and Smith critics argued the county hires part-time employees in strategic places to get rid of institutional knowledge. The county can hire part-time employees without advertising the position and enforcing qualification guidelines ? and merit system employees aren?t allowed to file grievances when their positions are suddenly “reorganized.”
County labor leaders, like Fraternal Order of Police President Cole Weston, says Homan must sign-off on new hires.
“It goes through the budget office ,and it?s either thumbs up or thumbs down,” Weston said. “That?s the system in place.”
But Homan has little to do with selecting new hires and is credited with maintaining the county?s triple A bond rating and producing several budget surpluses without tax hikes, said county spokesman Don Mohler.
“In every administration, people want to talk about the power of the budget office,” Mohler said. “As much as people talk, year after year, Baltimore County wins awards for its financial management.
