![]() ![]() ![]() Nevertheless, she was passed over when McGrath departed in May. It’s supposed to be an independent state agency.”ĭuring her tenure at MES, Wojton served as director of administration, director of business development and chief of staff, and most of the organization’s department heads reported to her. “MES has never had that much involvement from the governor’s office,” she told the panel. Wojton charged that McGrath wanted “involvement” in MES even after becoming Hogan’s top aide. … It felt like he didn’t respect our employees, and that was hard to take.” There were rumors he would walk around the outside of the building so that he wouldn’t have to interact with the employees and come up the back stairs. “He did not relate well to the employees. Employee morale was poor during his tenure.When MES’ director of communications resigned, two outside PR firms were brought in to replace them, she said.McGrath was “very focused on image,” she said, and changed his title from executive director to CEO to give the state-created entity the feel of a private enterprise.And sometimes would write them off and not have any interaction with them, and that was hard to see.” “Staff - if they were to make a mistake - he would never, ever forget about that. Women employees “were judged more harshly,” Wojton testified.“Most times, many of us on senior staff did not know his whereabouts,” she said. She described him as a “secretive” leader who frequently worked off-site.Unlike other executive directors, McGrath showed little interest in working with MES clients or getting to know the agency’s employees.Wojton painted an unflattering portrait of her former boss: The agency board’s decision to approve McGrath’s severance and reimbursement requests has generated significant criticism and prompted legislative calls for reform of MES policy.Īs he pressed MES board members to approve his severance request, McGrath insisted that Hogan (R) “anticipated” a lofty payout, a claim Hogan has repeatedly denied. The MES is a 50-year-old quasi-governmental agency that works mostly with local governments on environmental works projects and programs. The panel is probing MES’ decision to funnel nearly $300,000 in severance and expense reimbursement when he returned to state government as Hogan’s chief of staff in May, amid a severe economic downturn. The session focused on MES policy, McGrath’s leadership style and the controversial payout he wrested from the agency on his way out the door. She testified for more than 90 minutes on Wednesday before an online meeting of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight. She was passed over for the top spot when he became Hogan’s chief of staff in favor of someone McGrath recommended. Hogan Jr.’s top aide, was portrayed by his former deputy at the Maryland Environmental Service on Wednesday as an image-obsessed and secretive boss who torpedoed employee morale and undermined the women on his staff.īeth Wojton, who held numerous top posts during her 32-year career at MES, was McGrath’s second-in-command during his three-and-a-half-year stint as its CEO. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today. This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. The virtual scene at the legislature’s Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight hearing Wednesday afternoon. Business & Finance Click to expand menu. ![]()
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