POLICE UNIONS (FOP)
Maryland Union Considers Criminal for Lobbyist Post
Maryland's largest police union may rehire a disgraced but still powerfully
connected Annapolis lobbyist, even before he finishes serving a 30-month
federal prison sentence for defrauding his clients. The Fraternal Order
of Police was reportedly scheduled to meet Apr. 12 or 13 to consider signing
Gerard E. Evans, once the highest-grossing lobbyist in Annapolis, to a
new contract. And despite a new ethics law passed in the wake of Evans's
conviction, state officials say he would not be barred from working at
the Md. State House.
"We don't think [his conviction] should be held against him," said the
president of the Md. FOP, Calvert County Sheriff John R. Bartlett. "He
was an absolutely incredible lobbyist. He did a good job for us, and we
don't forget our friends."
Evans's 1999 indictment touched off two years of hand-wringing
over the role of lobbyists in the legislative process. Evans himself called
for reforms the day a jury found him guilty, and his case spurred passage
of a law meant to curtail outsider influence. But the lobbyist-ethics provision
took effect in Nov. 2001, after Evans's conviction, so the section that
would otherwise bar his return will not apply to him.
Critics of the system that for years allowed lobbyists to wine and dine lawmakers during the 90-day General Assembly session said they cringed at the notion of an Evans homecoming. "It would be discouraging to have the Ghost of Lobbying Past back in the game," said James Browning, executive director of Common Cause/Maryland. "This is a big step backwards."
But House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. (D-Allegany) said that if Evans has served his sentence, he should be welcomed back warmly. "I've always understood it that once you have paid your penalty, your slate is clean," Taylor said.
Evans has held on to the strong support of his closest allies in the State House, including the powerful Senate president, Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Prince George's). Evans began his career as a low-level Democratic operative. He toiled as an intern in the state Senate and grew so close to Miller that the senator became godfather to Evans' twin daughters. Since Evans' conviction for scheming to bilk clients out of more than $400,000 in lobbying fees, Miller has repeatedly declined to engage in speculation about his friend's return.
Although he was sentenced on Sept. 29, 2000, to 30 months in federal prison, Evans spent less than a year of his sentence behind bars. In Nov. 2001, he was moved to a halfway house, and he has been confined to his posh Davidsonville, Md., home since Mar. 22, 2002. His official release is scheduled for May 13, 2002. The conditions of his home detention permit him to work, and he has taken a full-time job with ACS State and Local Solutions, a Washington technology firm, where he is organizing a program to help others who leave prison to find work.
But Bartlett says he believes Evans's true calling is in Annapolis.
He said he will try to persuade the 11-member FOP board of directors to
hire Evans back for a post that in 2000 paid $27,000 for the 90-day session.
The decision will not be easy. Several board members said they expected
strong disagreement -- one predicted "a major bloodletting." Don Helms,
a member from the union's Baltimore lodge, said the key issue, not surprisingly,
will be Evans's criminal record. "Gerry did a lot of good things for the
FOP when he was with us," Helms said. "But we do have an image to worry
about. I mean, we are law enforcement." [Wash. Post 4/12/02]
Union Corruption Update is made possible by the generous contributions from readers like you. NLPC, PO Box 6821, Falls Church, VA 22040. Thank you.
In addition to the unions and organizations covered in this Union Corruption Update, readers can look forward to news and information on other corrupt and abusive unions in future editions.
All back issues of the Union Corruption Update can be viewed at NLPC's website (http://www.nlpc.org). Also available is a union-by-union and state-by-state index of all Union Corruption Update articles.
If you have story ideas or suggestions for future editions of Union Corruption Update, please email NLPC at nlpc@nlpc.org. Thank you.
Union Corruption Update is part of NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project which is investigating and exposing corruption in the Teamsters, LIUNA, AFL-CIO and many other union organizations. NLPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation promoting ethics and accountability in government through research, education and legal action.
Union Corruption Update Article Index (by Union)
Union Corruption Update Article Index (by State)
Organized Labor Accountability Project