D.C. human resources director Judy Banks admitted that hiring a campaign supporter who hid her felony conviction was a mistake.
“I would say in hindsight that was probably not the best placement,” Banks said Thursday at a D.C. Council hearing on Cherita Whiting, who was appointed by Mayor Vince Gray to a special assistant position in January in the Parks and Recreation department despite his knowledge that she lied about having a criminal past.
Banks defended other appointments, though, that have recently been under fire. She said the decision to hire Sulaimon Brown was solid because his criminal past was not found by the background check agency used by the District.
Brown landed a political appointment in the Department of Health Care Finance with an annual salary of $110,000. When he was fired after questions were raised about his past, he quickly claimed that Gray had promised him the job if he remained on the mayoral campaign trail last summer and continued his attacks on then-Mayor Adrian Fenty.
Banks also defended the appointment of political appointees’ children. Sons of three top Gray administration officials resigned from city jobs recently after their employment became publicized. But Banks said in each case the men were deemed qualified.
Ward 3 councilwoman Mary Cheh dismissed the human resources review, calling it “pro forma.”
Ward 8 councilman Marion Barry, meanwhile, debunked cries of nepotism, calling them “sensationalized media.”
