A Circuit Court judge has ruled Annapolis officials acted properly in releasing an employee who had claimed she was wrongfully fired.

However, Judge Chester Goudy's decision leaves open the question of who gets the job vacated by the employee.

Last November, Pamela Sue Baker left her job of 13 years with Annapolis Boat Shows for a job in the Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department. Informed in February that she would have to leave the job sosomeone who was already a city employee could have it, Baker sued.

After Baker was hired by Recreation and Parks director Richard Callahan, Sandra Doney, a city employee who had qualified for the job, filed an appeal with the city's civil service board, saying the job should have been given to someone already employed by the city.

On Feb. 19, the civil service board ruled that a civil service employee should be hired in place of Baker.

In a Circuit Court hearing two weeks ago, City Attorney Jona

than Hodgson argued that city law requires that a civil service job must first be offered to qualified people already in city civil service jobs.

Goudy agreed -- but said Callahan should have offered the job to city employee Linda Mowatt, whom Callahan said was more qualified than Doney and other applicants.

Hodgson was unavailable for comment yesterday, as was attorney Frederick Sussman, who represented Baker.