Asti thinks governor wants her out of job

The Baltimore Sun

Maryland Stadium Authority executive director Alison Asti said last night that based on a recent conversation with her agency's new chairman, Fred Puddester, she does not believe Gov. Martin O'Malley wants her to continue in her position.

Asti said she spoke with Puddester, an O'Malley appointee, just before he became chairman on July 1. "I said to him that I expected him to judge me on my performance," she said. "And he responded that he did not think that would be possible.

"I took from that that it was his impression that I did not have support from the governor's office to remain in my job," she said.

Asti said Puddester did not ask her to resign. She said she told him she had not considered leaving her post.

"I indicated that I was content to leave it up to the board," she said. "I have not had any official word from the board ... and it is a vote of the board."

The Daily Record reported yesterday that, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation, Puddester asked Asti to resign. Asti refused, and Puddester replied that he had enough votes among the board's seven members to have her fired, the source told the paper.

Board member Howard J. Stevens Jr. said he was aware of the conversation between Puddester and Asti but said no one had talked to him about firing her or asked how he would vote on such a move.

"I find it somewhat absurd that we're asking someone who I think has done an outstanding job to resign," he said. "I just wonder why there's a need for this change."

Stevens said he anticipates that Asti's removal will come up at the board's next meeting and that Puddester will have enough votes to remove her.

"I would anticipate that because if he didn't have the votes, I don't think it would have been floated," he said.

Puddester did not reply to messages left on his cell phone last night. The five other board members also could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for O'Malley referred all questions to the stadium authority.

The authority has not held a meeting since Puddester became chairman, and no meeting is scheduled.

The agency has been under scrutiny since a legislative audit released in February criticized it for paying $42,000 for less than an hour of work by a former director who left under an ethics cloud and for handing a $104,000 severance package to an executive with only 15 months of service time.

"The audit gives us an opportunity to stir things up on the stadium authority and put in new leadership," O'Malley said at the time. "I can tell you we're aware that there are problems at the stadium authority, which is why I put someone of Fred Puddester's caliber and ability there."

Asti said she didn't believe her conversation with Puddester about resigning had anything to do with the audit. "Fred never suggested it had anything to do with the audit," she said.

She also noted that unlike many political appointments, the executive director's job has not changed hands each time a new administration has taken over in Annapolis.

Authority members have said the agency faced unfair criticism in the wake of the audit, noting that Asti had imposed significant spending controls since becoming executive director in 2004.

In a vote of confidence, the board awarded Asti a $15,000 bonus a month after the audit emerged in February. That came on top of a $225,000 salary that makes her one of the highest-paid state employees in Maryland.

"Keep in mind that we hired Alison at a very critical juncture for the agency," former chairman Robert McKinney said in a recent interview. "We had just received an audit, and we had experienced the parting of ways with our director. She did a sensational job of keeping morale up, keeping the organization moving."

Asti carries more institutional knowledge than anyone else at the authority. She began working with the agency as a private lawyer in 1987 and signed on as general counsel in 1990. The Anne Arundel County native is also the new president of the Maryland State Bar Association.

According to her contract, she would go back to being general counsel if removed as director.

"I expect that my institutional knowledge would be very valuable to a new director," she said.

Asked about Asti several weeks ago, Puddester said she is hardworking, loyal to her employees and an excellent attorney. But when asked whether she would stay in her position, he declined to answer.

"The people who work for me have no doubt where they stand," he said. "But that's between me and the person."

Said Asti: "If the board determines that they want someone else, that's fine with me. I won't fight that."

childs.walker@baltsun.com

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