'Death List' Guided Md. Firings, Panel Told

Washington Post ^ | 12/14/05 | Matthew Mosk

[conservative in nyc]

Top officials in Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration ordered the dismissal of a succession of mid-level state workers, plucked from a sheet of paper that an aide called the "death list," a former state personnel official told top lawmakers yesterday.

The targeted employees were fired, in some instances, solely because they were Democrats, and in each case to make room for Republican political appointees, said Tom Burgess, who yesterday became the first former state employee to testify under oath before the panel investigating Ehrlich's personnel practices.

The panel was convened this fall to examine complaints that Ehrlich (R) dispatched aides to reach into the state bureaucracy and fire workers considered disloyal. Ehrlich aides reiterated yesterday that they view the probe as a partisan witch hunt, exposing nothing more than the natural turnover when a new administration takes office. They noted that Burgess had been demoted before leaving his state post and now works for the city of Baltimore, where the mayor plans to run for governor.

Democrats said yesterday's testimony offered fresh evidence that Ehrlich abused a system that gave him discretion over 6,000 state workers serving in "at will" positions.

--Snip--

After the hearing, [Senate Minority Leader Stoltzfus] (R-Somerset) called Burgess "emotionally very effective" but also not very credible, given that he would naturally be disgruntled.

"He didn't show us anything" to corroborate his sworn testimony, Stoltzfus said. "Whether these things went on or not, we just have his word."

Republicans also questioned Burgess's credibility because he recently gave campaign donations to his boss, Mayor Martin O'Malley(D), who is seeking to challenge Ehrlich in the 2006 governor's race. Burgess, who also donated to the Republican National Committee, said he has never discussed the case with O'Malley and was testifying only "because it's the right thing to do."

[conservative in nyc]

The WaPo's take on today's testimony.

BTW- I can't find any donations to the RNC by any Burgess living in Maryland in the FEC's database. I also can't find the O'Malley contribution in the FEC or MD's database.

According to Maryland Election's online database, a Thomas Burgess of Baltimore donated $100 to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D), who ran against Governor Ehrlich in 2002. A Thomas A. Burgess of Cantonsville contributed $35 to Tom Dewberry, and a TJ Burgess contributed $400 to Alonzo Black, according to the MD Database.

MD Elections Database: http://www.elections.state.md.us/campaign_finance/database/

FEC.gov Contribution Search: http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml

[conservative in nyc]

MD4Bush Ping!

An article by the WaPo's Mosk in the WaPo on today's Burgess testimony.

There's also an article in today's Gazette here. From that article:

Burgess, a registered Republican from Catonsville, is now personnel chief for Baltimore city’s Department of Public Works, a job he received after answering a newspaper ad. He said he had attended a fund-raiser for O’Malley, a gubernatorial candidate, and contributed to his campaign, but his check was returned.

Burgess also said he attended a $75-a-head fund-raiser in 2002 for Ehrlich’s Democratic opponent, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and had contributed to the National Republican Party. Neither contribution, he told the committee, affected his testimony.

[nopardons]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

[conservative in nyc]

Tom Dewberry is a Democrat, too. The Cantonsville and Baltimore Thomas Burgesses have the same zip code in the MD Elections database. So we know this guy has been contributing to Democrats recently, including the governor's opponent in 2002.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Thanks

[Gabz]

BTTT.

[Katya]

Oh sure, he's a republican...and I'm a registered democrat...that means absolutely nothing.