O'Malley firing ruled illegal over GOP ties

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ANNAPOLIS -- A Maryland administrative law judge ruled this week that Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration illegally fired a Republican state worker and ordered the worker to be reinstated with full back pay.

Judge Susan A. Sinrod ruled that Greg Maddalone was fired illegally by the O'Malley administration because of his political ties to former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican.

Democratic lawmakers in 2005 accused the Ehrlich administration of illegally firing thousands of state workers because of their ties to previous Democratic governors.

After the Democrat-controlled General Assembly spent 13 months and $1.1 million of public funds to investigate the charges, Mr. Ehrlich was found to not have fired anyone illegally.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch, Anne Arundel County Democrat, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., Prince George's County Democrat, were unavailable for comment about the Maddalone ruling yesterday.

Mr. Busch and Mr. Miller, who spearheaded the investigation of the Ehrlich administration's firings, have not said whether they will consider a similar probe of the O'Malley administration.

Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, defeated Mr. Ehrlich in his bid for re-election in November.

A copy of Judge Sinrod's decision was not made available yesterday because the case was handled as a confidential personnel matter. A source with access to the judge's decision confirmed its contents to The Washington Times yesterday.

In the ruling, Judge Sinrod rebuked state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari for violating Mr. Maddalone's First and 14th Amendment rights, according to the source.

Mr. Maddalone worked as a legislative liaison at the Maryland Port Administration and then in the transportation secretary's office before being fired this year.