Several questions arose during a public hearing for a bill that would enable county residents laid off recently by the federal government to move to the front of the line when applying for a county job.
Under the proposed bill, residents who are qualified for a county job automatically will move to the interview stage. If they are considered a good candidate, the interviews will stop and that person will be chosen, Council Vice President Will Jawando explained when the bill was introduced recently.
But Tricia Swanson, director of strategic partnerships, speaking on behalf of County Executive Marc Elrich, said that may actually slow the hiring process.
She said that 251 people recently applied to a data analyst position, of which 54 were federal workers. If the department had to interview all 54 federal workers, it could prolong the process, she said, adding, “We are hoping to narrow the scope.”
She also questioned what showing preference to fired federal workers would mean for veterans, who currently receive priority in hiring, as well as current employees, who might want to change jobs.
Swanson noted federal workers receive unemployment benefits from the jurisdiction where they worked. For county residents with jobs in D.C., verification would take longer. The county would have to deal with the District of Columbia, which could cause “bottlenecks,” she said.
However, she stressed, Elrich still supports the idea of giving preference to fired federal workers.
Linda Gutierrez was fired in February after 18 years with the U.S. Agency for International Development and would love to work for the county, remain in her home and keep her child enrolled in the school district.
She has lived in the county most of her life and spent the past 18 years working with global health in the U.S. Agency for International Development. That is until Feb. 23.
“I was given just 15 minutes to clear my desk,” she said. “My 18-year career was gone, and my family was thrown into uncertainty,” she said, adding that she lost both her income and health insurance.
Gutierrez said she applied “to a number of Montgomery County jobs,” adding, “The bill is so important.”
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