Mayor Adrian Fenty asked the D.C. Council for more time to hirea board-certified forensic pathologist as the city’s next chief medical examiner, as the city faces a recruiting struggle that one expert linked to the office’s shoddy reputation.

Current Chief Medical Examiner Marie Pierre-Louis’ term expired April 30, but the Fenty administration has yet to find a qualified replacement, a search that could require another year. Pierre-Louis is not certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology as required by a 2004 D.C. law.