Department head gets reprieve from Fenty

WASHINGTON - Despite being rejected by the D.C. Council, Mayor Adrian Fenty's choice to run the Department of Parks and Recreation will continue at her job for the near future.

Fenty issued an executive order on October 23 changing Acting Director Ximena Hartsock's title from "Acting Director" to "Interim Director."

D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles tells WTOP Mayor Fenty is "within his power to ensure the success of any agency."

Nickles says Hartsock will be able to serve for an additional 180 days under her new title. D.C. Law requires cabinet level appointees to be confirmed by the D.C. Council within 180 days of their nomination. Hartsock's original 180 was set to expire the first week of November.

The new executive order could keep Hartsock at the helm of Parks and Recreation until next April, but Nickles says he doesn't think it will take that long to find a new director.

"Under the law, she has 180 days," Nickles said in a phone interview, "but I expect a new director will be named sooner than that."

As to whether Hartsock will find another position in the Fenty Administration once a new director is named, Nickles was unsure. "Maybe there's something else here, I don't know." Nickles said.

Hartsock's nomination was the first Fenty appointment to be rejected by the Council. In a 7-to-5 vote, the council voted her out. The vote came after a controversial confirmation hearing where Councilmember Marion Barry said that Hartsock did not understand black culture and added that women have a different attitude about sports than men.

Nickles called the vote "outrageous."

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)