Debra Murray became the chief financial officer of Ellsworth Electric in Hagerstown, Maryland in 2018.
In 2017, a majority of the Washington County commissioners’ board unjustly fired Murray from her longtime county finance director position.
The commissioners believed that Debra Murray was involved in authorizing a $250,000 county loan.
Mrs. Murray worked for Washington County government for over 24 years.
Debra Murray Fired: The Backstory
Debra Murray was one of two county employees fired by the county commissioners on October 24, 2017
The all-male commissioner board at the time learned of an “unauthorized” $250,000 loan Murray approved.
The loan was related to a West Virginia contractor waste-to-energy project at Washington County’s Forty West Landfill.
Debra Murray is married to former Washington County Administrator Greg Murray.
Mr. Murray relocated to Charlotte County, Florida, when hired by the City of Punta Gorda to serve as its city administrator.
Three Washington County commissioners successfully ousted Mr. Murray from his administrator position under similarly dubious circumstances as his wife.
LeRoy Myers Orchestrates Greg and Debra Murry’s Firings
Former Washington County Commissioner LeRoy Myers led the charge to remove Greg Murray from Washington County government.
Commissioner Terry Baker, now a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates, and Commissioner Wayne Keefer, who’s running for re-election, supported Myers in firing Greg Murray.
Former Washington County Assistant Administrator Sarah Lankford-Sprecher sued Myers for sexual harassment.
Debra Murray was fired from her county job soon after LeRoy Myers’ sexual harassment report was presented to the county.
Myers eventually settled with Lankford-Sprecher.
He denied any wrongdoing.
Debra Murray’s Loan
Greg Murray told Herald-Mail Media in October 2017 that “county policy doesn’t require the commissioners to approve the loan.”
“It was a matter of providing cash flow so the design could be completed after the project hit a snag when the Maryland Department of the Environment wanted to process the permits all at once rather than in phases,” Murray said.
A Miner Detail reached out to Debra Murray for comment about her new position with Ellsworth Electric.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to use my skills to support a quality company with quality ownership and staff. I am unable to comment at this time on any action regarding wrongful termination [with the county],” she said.
Ellsworth Electric
Ellsworth Electric is a family-owned Hagerstown business.
The company provides electrical contracting services for large commercial construction projects.
John Barr, a former Washington County commissioner and former MACo president, is Ellsworth Electric’s board chairman.
In 2022, Barr hopes to return to the commissioner board. He’s running in the Republican commissioner primary after briefly changing his voter registration to “unaffiliated.”
Commissioner Barr did not respond to A Miner Detail’s request for comment.
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