Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy is doubling down on support for her nominee to lead the county’s Department of the Environment, despite his being fired from the same department for “gross negligence” some 11 years ago.
Samuel Moki took on the role as acting head of the department on June 26, and still faces a confirmation vote before the Prince George’s County Council, which is on recess until September.
In 2014, Moki was terminated from the agency for “gross negligence” after county officials determined he failed to manage the county’s stormwater pollution management program.
Moki challenged the firing before the county personnel board, and in the court system. In each case, the court upheld the firing as justified, according to a Wednesday report in Maryland Matters.
Braveboy voiced support for Moki during a Thursday media event to announce a new county beautification program.
“You have an individual who has impeccable qualifications, someone who has multiple degrees, someone who is committed to serving Prince George’s County,” said Braveboy. “I am hiring people who know how to get the job done.”
In a 2016 opinion, from what is now known as the Maryland Appellate Court, the panel wrote about how Moki’s “conduct calls into serious question the appellant’s trustworthiness and integrity.”
According to a statement from the county executive’s office, Moki’s termination came at a time when the Environmental Protection Agency was intensifying enforcement of the Clean Water Act. The statement said Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Harford and Baltimore counties were cited and fined for similar storm sewer system permit compliance issues.
Asked by reporters about the court’s findings, Braveboy said: “The rationale for any employment action at that time was not consistent with what happened in other jurisdictions that have very similar issues.”
“Whatever happened in the past, political or not, what we do know is that we have someone who absolutely knows how to do their job and will do it effectively. I fully stand behind him.”
Approached by reporters after Braveboy’s comments, Moki was asked for his response to the courts’ rulings and his qualifications to serve as a public official: “No comment, contact the county exec’s office,” he said.
WTOP’s John Domen contributed to this report.
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