Rob Slocum’s first 100 days as Washington County’s administrator

By Ryan Miner

– Called into question the County’s support on the Fort Ritchie project – one of the largest economic opportunities the County is currently involved in.

– Rearranged priorities that hinder the downtown project, another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the urban center.

– Promoted at least four engineering staff members to higher-level positions without following County policies, with substantial salary increases and with no change in reporting responsibilities.

– Demoted the CFO. Now requires the position to report directly to the Administrator, consequently removing the transparency and fiscal accountability required by the commissioners.

– Presented a budget with substantial increases without dedicating excess funds for critical issues, such as employee’s salaries and emergency services.

– Neglected to follow County policies to promptly investigate employee complaints.

– Ordered an investigation of employees for “leaking” information to the media, instead of addressing what was “leaked.”

– Restricted the flow of information from County government to media outlets.

– Shortened Commissioner meetings to 1 1/2 hours on average and reduced information provided to the public.

– Participated in questionable business practices with a Commissioner and a local company.

– Sanctioned County employee changes that reduced morale and efficiency.

– Changed the proposed location of the County’s election board offices, causing missed deadlines and changes to long-term capital planning.

– Temperamental outbreaks when communicating with staff in public offices.

– Used employee confidants to “watch” other employee actions and report on them.

– Excluded the former County administrator, Greg Murray, from helping with issues that could have benefited the County.

– Told several people the “commissioners” made decisions without advising said Commissioners or asking their opinions.

– A majority of Commissioners are making decisions in private, instead of the required public discussion with all five.

– Reduced public confidence in the operation of County government.

About the Author

Ryan Miner
Ryan R. Miner, MBA is the founder, editor in chief, and senior reporter of A Miner Detail, the Maryland investigative journalism publication he launched in April 2015. He hosts the A Miner Detail Podcast, distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and seven other platforms. A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, Miner holds a B.A. in political science from Duquesne University (2008) and an MBA from Mount St. Mary's University (2020). He teaches at Frederick Community College. He is also the founder of Sentinel Silver, LLC, Maryland's first older adult technology institute, and the publisher of The Senior Soup, a Maryland senior advocacy platform. His longer story is at ryanrminer.com. Reach him at Ryan@AMinerDetail.com or (240) 244-7075.