Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich wanted a veteran of the county’s Fire and Rescue Service to become the next chief.
But 34-year veteran and MCFRS Division Chief Charles Bailey saw his name abruptly withdrawn from consideration this week.
It’s not the first time a pick for a top job in the Maryland county’s government during Elrich’s tenure has cratered before getting to confirmation.
In 2019, two candidates for chief of police withdrew from consideration before getting a county council confirmation vote.
When asked if his office’s vetting process is to blame, Elrich told WTOP that in Bailey’s case, “When we went back to see whether any complaints had been issued, whether there were any reports” given to then-Fire Chief Scott Goldstein who would have been Bailey’s boss, Elrich said, “We didn’t find anything.”
The withdrawal of Bailey’s name came after a memo was issued by Montgomery County’s Office of the Inspector General.
That memo, dated Feb. 28, stated that the OIG carried out an investigation “regarding allegations of misconduct by a senior Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service employee.”
The report stated that the unnamed subject of the investigation violated a “hands-off” and “decorum provisions” policy in 2021, and that in 2019, the subject of the report “used language that violated the decorum provisions” of the agency’s regulations on ethics and personal conduct.
When asked if that memo had anything to do with the sudden withdrawal of Bailey’s name for consideration, Elrich said, “I can’t discuss it” because it relates to a personnel matter.
Bailey had been nominated back in November and faced confirmation before the county’s 11-member council.
Elrich said while the search for the next fire chief continues, he doesn’t expect any changes to Bailey’s status as division chief.
WTOP has reached out to Bailey for comment.
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