Jennings, reached on his cell phone, declined to comment yesterday. Franchot and Pugh declined to discuss the nature of the pension board members' questions. Pugh said she has spoken to Jennings and that he is willing to re-enter the nominating process.
Franchot, who is the vice chairman of the pension system's board, said that in meetings with the board, Jennings gave "an outstanding vision" for his role on the committee and "hit the ball out of the park." He said Jennings was the only nominee before the board for the vacant seat, an assertion disputed by Kopp and R. Dean Kenderdine, executive director of the pension fund, who both said there were two other nominees for the position.
"I regret things happened the way they did," Kopp said. "I don't know whether the other folk who are also well-qualified will want to continue with the process."
FOR THE RECORD - An article in Thursday's editions of The Sun incorrectly identified whom the Board of Public Works reappointed as a public adviser on the investment committee for the State Retirement and Pension System of Maryland. Wayne H. Shaner was reappointed to the post.
The Sun regrets the error.
Kenderdine would not comment on the board's questions about Jennings' qualifications, but said of him: "My impressions were that he is someone who has an extensive career in investments. Someone who has been very successful in his whole life, in the business pursuits that he has had. Someone who could contribute to the investment deliberations of the investment committee and board."
Pugh said that besides hearing from members of the minority business community, she has received inquiries about the situation from the Legislative Black Caucus. She said her primary concern is to ensure that the process is transparent, and that "we are applying the same standards across the board as it relates to the selection process of advisers," according to a letter she wrote to the board.
Kopp told Pugh, a Baltimore Democrat, that the board would clarify the nomination process in the future.
The vacant seat on the investment committee's three-member public advisory panel was created by the departure of Robert W. Schaefer, who was appointed last summer by Gov. Martin O'Malley to serve on the board of the retirement system.
nicole.fuller@baltsun.com
