Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith has named the brother of one of his top aides to a newly created $96,000 position, officials confirmed Thursday.
Mike Mohler, brother of Smith spokesman Don Mohler, will oversee the county?s code enforcement division as a second deputy director of the permits and development management department starting Monday, officials said. The county did not advertise the job, nor interview other candidates before hiring Mohler, a member of the county?s Board of Appeals and a brokerage consultant.
“The responsibility to ensure that code enforcement issues are being dealt with in a timely and efficient manner is a critical function of government,” said Marjorie Hampson, a county spokeswoman who responded to questions in writing. “Mr. Mohler is uniquely qualified to oversee that operation, and we expect immediate results.”
Mohler, a former sales director for Guinness who also works as a consultant for a Catonsville developer proposing a $250 million mixed-use project, will have no involvement in development regulation, Hampson said.
County lawmakers said they are just learning of the hire, and one alluded to the appearance of nepotism. Councilman Bryan McIntire, a Republican who represents much of the county?s northern parts, questioned if Mohler is qualified for the job.
“It concerns me, in the eyes of the public, if this job was not advertised for the best person sought for the lowest amount of money,” McIntire said. “Someone automatically given the job is inherently wrong.”
The department?s deputy director, Don Rascoe, acknowledged Mohler will need to “immerse” himself to become familiar with code enforcement, but said the office?s many responsibilities necessitated another supervisor.
“He?s a competent guy, and we look forward to having him here,” Rascoe said. “The county executive has placed a high emphasis on quality of life, things like neighborhood clean-up, and they needed to have someone at a fairly high level to make that happen.”
Supervisory positions can be filled with either merit or at-will employees, Hampson said. Mohler was selected as an at-will hire serving at the pleasure of department head Tim Kotroco.
