Personnel Office

Beverly Billingslea, Carroll County's director of human resources, will resign from her position Feb. 3, after three years as head of the county's personnel office.Billingslea said she wants to pursue other opportunities.She joined county government in January 1989 as an assistant director of human resources.Billingslea was appointed director in January 1996."Bev has served the county extremely well," said Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown. "She has been a keeper of the rules and an advocate for the employees.

When he evaluated his retirement options five years ago, Assistant State's Attorney Fred Paone settled on a deal to collect his pension while working as a part-time prosecutor. Now, Anne Arundel County has sent Paone a $115,672.50 bill demanding that he repay retirement benefits and a notice that his future pension checks will be cut as long as he works for the county. An internal audit had revealed that Paone, 61, and three other workers at the Anne Arundel state's attorney's office were illegally collecting full pension payments while working part time.

With harsh words but no punishment, Anne Arundel's Ethics Commission has ended an investigation into whether County Executive John G. Gary illegally gave former campaign workers and State House staff civil-service jobs.The commission decided last week not to hold hearings on whether top Gary administration officials broke county hiring rules to reward past political loyalty with merit jobs. But the commission took the unusual step of writing an opinion because "in this case some expression of its concerns are required."

Two corporals made sergeant this week in the Anne Arundel County Police Department, fewer than expected after the agency had to rescind three planned promotions shortly after all five were told they earned the higher rank. “The personnel office made an honest mistake and moved quickly to correct it within 24 hours,” said county spokesman Dave Abrams. “Of course, the individuals affected were contacted and received a deserved apology from [the personnel officer].” He said the mistake came about due to differing promotion processes within the police department.

A high-ranking Anne Arundel County personnel official is under investigation for allegedly rigging a typing test for a female friend in the county's Public Works Department by letting someone else - a teen-ager who had worked part-time for the county - take the exam in her place, The Sun has learned. Revelation of the inquiry comes amid a spate of bad publicity for County Executive Janet S. Owens, including a report that her hand-picked police chief intervened to help a former councilman's son who was charged with burglary.

The county auditor has recommended that locks on the front door to the county office building be altered because former County Executive M. Elizabeth Bobo may have lost her keys.Bobo left county government Dec. 3 after her defeat in the November election."Our review disclosed that some items that permit access to county facilities had not been accounted for," auditor Ronald S. Weinsteintold the County Council in a report.All money under Bobo's control was accounted for, he noted. A draft of the audit was not reviewedby the council.

Annapolis planning office to get roomy new quartersAfter nine years of working in the cramped top floor of an old fire station, Annapolis' planners are getting larger offices.The 14-member Office of Planning and Zoning is taking over the entire building next week when the Personnel Office is moved to an upstairs office in the Donner building at the foot of Main Street."Right now we have seven people working in 396 square feet," said Eileen Fogarty, director of planning and zoning. "People have to wait in the middle of the secretarial area.

Two corporals made sergeant this week in the Anne Arundel County Police Department, fewer than expected after the agency had to rescind three planned promotions shortly after all five were told they earned the higher rank. “The personnel office made an honest mistake and moved quickly to correct it within 24 hours,” said county spokesman Dave Abrams. “Of course, the individuals affected were contacted and received a deserved apology from [the personnel officer].” He said the mistake came about due to differing promotion processes within the police department.

When he evaluated his retirement options five years ago, Assistant State's Attorney Fred Paone settled on a deal to collect his pension while working as a part-time prosecutor. Now, Anne Arundel County has sent Paone a $115,672.50 bill demanding that he repay retirement benefits and a notice that his future pension checks will be cut as long as he works for the county. An internal audit had revealed that Paone, 61, and three other workers at the Anne Arundel state's attorney's office were illegally collecting full pension payments while working part time.

Several county police officers who thought they would get raises and promotions this year won't because the county personnel board has ruled that the results of the promotion test should be thrown out and a new test given.The board decided that the results of the sergeants test were "tainted" because a lieutenant charged a fee for a preparatory class.The strongly worded decision assailed upper management in the department for allowing Lt. Ronald Bateman, a night shift supervisor in the Eastern District, to give the course.

Anne Arundel County Personnel Officer Randall J. Schultz submitted his resignation yesterday, ending a 1 1/2 -year tenure marked by strained relations with labor unions and questions about his workplace behavior. Schultz gave no reason for his resignation in a brief letter to County Executive Janet S. Owens and did not return phone calls yesterday. His resignation is effective Nov. 8. County spokesman John A. Morris said Schultz will stay on for a month as a consultant. He will complete an analysis of the pension system and analyze the structure and staffing levels at the Office of Personnel, Morris said.

A high-ranking Anne Arundel County personnel official is under investigation for allegedly rigging a typing test for a female friend in the county's Public Works Department by letting someone else - a teen-ager who had worked part-time for the county - take the exam in her place, The Sun has learned. Revelation of the inquiry comes amid a spate of bad publicity for County Executive Janet S. Owens, including a report that her hand-picked police chief intervened to help a former councilman's son who was charged with burglary.

The Anne Arundel official responsible for guarding county employees' rights has been accused by his former secretary of retaliation after she complained to him about his alleged close relationship with another female employee. Jacquelyn Edelen-Dyer, 51, claims that county Personnel Officer Randall J. Schultz punished her in May by making verbal threats and banishing her for about two months to a job without any purpose - essentially sorting job applications into piles - after she requested to move to a different department.

The Anne Arundel official responsible for guarding county employees' rights has been accused by his former secretary of retaliation after she complained to him about his alleged close relationship with another female employee. Jacquelyn Edelen-Dyer, 51, claims that county Personnel Officer Randall J. Schultz punished her in May by making verbal threats and banishing her for about two months to a job without any purpose - essentially sorting job applications into piles - after she requested to move to a different department.

The state prosecutor's office said yesterday that it will examine whether Baltimore Sheriff John W. Anderson violated any laws when his wife -- who was hired shortly before their marriage -- took about five months off on sick leave and received full pay. At the same time, the state's top personnel official announced that her office plans to review the sheriff's office's hiring practices and handling of employee benefits, specifically sick leave....

U.S. District Judge Walter E. Black Jr. has left intact a $375,000 jury award to a former Maryland State Police paramedic who said he was improperly denied parental leave because he is a man, but said a state personnel officer -- and not the state -- is liable for payment.Black said in an order last week the state could not be held liable for the award to retired Tfc. H. Kevin Knussman because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity, but personnel officer Jill D. Mullineaux would be responsible for payment.

Faced with a rise in requests from needy students, Howard County educators are launching a fund drive to help pay for such necessities as food, medicine, glasses and school supplies.This year 300 to 400 students or their families requested money for basic needs from the schools' Pupil Personnel office, which was able to provide assistance to more than 200. Just three years ago the number of requests averaged 100 to 150. There's simply not enough money now, said Peter Finck, a pupil personnel official.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- So you want to work for the federal government? Getting your foot in the door was never this easy. You don't even have to change out of your pajamas.Just pick up the telephone. Use the keypad to punch in your experience, education, job specialties. Chitchat with the computerized voice on the other end. It can't even be surly to you -- that's not in the program.In the latest idea from the Clinton administration's government streamlining plan, the government unveiled its first fully automated personnel office yesterday.

Despite a robust economy, Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens is considering whether to institute a hiring freeze.She said yesterday that she may prohibit the hiring of new county employees in the fiscal year starting July 1 to pay for raises for teachers and other union workers without raising taxes.That compromise aims to prevent a collision between competing promises Owens made on the campaign trail when she described herself as a fiscal conservative who would fight for the county's unionized workers.