Laurell Taylor, the attorney for Carroll County, had recently received a positive performance evaluation, so she had no thought that her job might be in danger when the county commissioners abruptly called her to a noon meeting in August.

Moments later, she got an ultimatum: Resign within the next four hours or be fired.

Taylor resigned, saying publicly that she wanted to "branch out into other areas of law." She is now Westminster's city clerk.

Taylor's sudden departure is one example of the daily tension in Carroll County's government offices - which one former employee calls "a culture of absolute fear and repression."

In more than 30 interviews, local officials, community leaders and employees described a county government rife with infighting and micromanagement. Amid that turmoil, critics say, employees are afraid to offer dissenting opinions, to solve problems creatively or to carry out simple actions without a commissioner's direct approval.

Tension peaks when the commissioners disagree on high-profile issues, such as South Carroll's chronic water shortages. Many county workers believe that Taylor and former Public Works Director J. Michael Evans were forced out because they were less than enthusiastic about the commissioners' plan to construct a $15 million water treatment plant at Piney Run Lake near Sykesville.

The departures and rumors of unrest make the county look bad, some say.

"It's obviously a problem when we lose the people we've been dealing with for years," says Sykesville Mayor Jonathan S. Herman. "It's a bad sign when a business loses key employees. It's a sign that something odious is going on."

Dell sees no problem

But Commissioners Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier say reports of turmoil and low morale are fueled by a small group intent on criticizing the commissioners in any way possible. The relationship between staff and the commissioners functions at a near-optimal level, Dell says.

"With three commissioners having different opinions, it can be tough on staff, but I always try and give them the benefit of the doubt," Dell says. "I try to understand that they're giving me their best shot based on their expertise, and I'm certainly willing to change my mind based on their advice."

As for the departures of key staff members, Dell says, "I can't let it bother me, or I couldn't do this job. Because we can't talk about personnel decisions, I can't even defend myself, so I just let it go."

During the past two years, the commissioners have lost or forced out four of 12 employees at the director level, the highest in county government: Taylor, Evans, Planning Director Steve Horn and Max Bair, executive assistant to the commissioners.

Only the resignations of Taylor and Evans can be linked directly to office tensions. Horn took a higher-paying job in Frederick County; Bair said he retired at age 53 because he could help the community more in other capacities.

The county's employee turnover rate, which hovers around 9 percent annually, has been relatively stable under the current board and is lower than that of many area counties.

But working for Carroll County can be difficult because the commissioners wield both executive and legislative power in a system unique among Baltimore-area localities. As a result, frustrated staff members have little recourse if they run into problems with the board.

Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge, at times a strong critic of the county work environment, says staffers are cowed by her battles with Dell and Frazier. On major issues, 2-1 board votes are common, and such conflict "has taken a lot of the innovative spirit out of people," she says.

Previous boards showed greater respect for staff input, she says, and the threat of dismissal never seemed so palpable for employees. "The shame of it is that the employees now spend more time trying to figure out how to keep the three of us happy than they do trying to work on the county's problems."

'Micromanagement'

Critics of Dell and Frazier say they often feel the commissioners are looking over their shoulders. Several current and former employees spoke of the daily anxiety triggered by questions on minor issues such as the type of brick in a building or the speed limit around a curve.

"I think it's difficult to work for this board, mainly because of their micromanagement style," says a county employee, who, like many other staffers, requested anonymity because of fears of retribution. "It makes it very difficult to get anything done because we have to get approval for every little thing."

"It's like trying to drive a bus with three steering wheels. It's a very inefficient way of doing things," said former Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown, who served on the board with Dell from 1994 to 1998. During that time, Brown repeatedly labeled Dell a micromanager.

Dell says he takes pride in knowing as many details as possible. "But I never go to a director and say, 'This is what I want you to do, because that's the way I want it.' ... I don't have the expertise in, say, how to fill a pothole."

Frazier also dismisses the complaint. "We can't know everything we would need to know to micromanage this government. I just want to know enough to make sure the job is being done properly."

Some employees agree that the criticism is overstated. They say tension has not risen in county offices and attribute the complaints to a disgruntled few.

"I don't read anything into the individual departures," says Comptroller Eugene Curfman, a county employee for 28 years. "I've seen so many changes over the years. ... It's a reality as an appointed employee that every four years you face the prospect of change."

Directors know they can be dismissed at any time, but that never seemed so threatening under previous boards, says Evans, now the director of inspections and permits in Howard County.

Piney Run troubles

The commissioners asked Evans, a county worker for more than 12 years, to resign at a private meeting June 27, 2000.

They gave no reason for the decision, but Evans says his widely known but unstated dissent over the proposed Piney Run water treatment plant probably was a factor.

Drawing water from the lake will combat water shortages in fast-growing South Carroll, Frazier and Dell say. The issue has triggered frequent 2-1 board votes and has sparked a running battle with state officials about the pace of development.

Piney Run also was a sensitive issue for Taylor as county attorney. She sometimes felt undermined, as when the county hired an outside attorney in battling the state over the water treatment plant.

Taylor describes Piney Run as "a fairly straightforward case that could have been handled in-house." But the commissioners have so far opted to pay more than $11,000 for the services of Roger Titus of Venable, Baetjer and Howard.

Gouge says the decision to hire an outside attorney put Taylor "into an extremely difficult position, because as a county attorney, her opinion wasn't valued. You have to begin questioning why people aren't using your expertise."

Frazier apparently lost confidence in the attorney and advocated sending out more and more legal work, several who were close to the situation say.

Frazier won't comment on her relationship with Taylor, noting that it was a personnel matter.

Frazier has since publicly complimented Taylor's replacement, Kim Millender, saying it's nice to have an "excellent" county attorney.

Says a current employee about the commissioners' management style: "It's clear they don't trust their [department] directors. If something goes wrong, in their view, it is usually the fault of a director, not the commissioners. It gets very frustrating."

Departures noticed

Town and community leaders notice when prominent staffers suddenly depart, but opinions differ on whether the turnover speaks to a greater problem.

Sykesville Mayor Herman, who represents an area often discontented with the commissioners, says the departures reflect miscommunication and unrest in county offices.

Hampstead Mayor Christopher M. Nevin says, "In politics and in companies, new leadership is entitled to bring in new people to fill into leadership positions. I don't think what you see here is off the charts compared to what's happened in the past."

Everyone does agree on this: Losing veteran employees hurts the county.

Bair, for example, developed an invaluable institutional memory in his 31 years of county work, many as executive assistant to the commissioners, says Hampstead Town Manager Ken Decker.

And if the nature of the departures hurts the county's reputation and its ability to hire competent replacements, that also would be a problem, town and county officials agree.

"I don't think we're there yet, at least I hope not," Gouge says. "But it's a concern. The county's reputation is always a concern."