Saul Ewing to Probe Former City Employees' Claims

Rockville has retained the law firm of Saul Ewing LLP to conduct an "internal investigation of various workplace matters," Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio announced during Monday's City Council meeting.

City attorney Debra Verg Daniel sent an email to city employees Monday informing them of the investigation, Marcuccio said.

The probe follows reports of former city employees claiming discrimination and harassment by supervisors.

Saul Ewing LLP is a Mid-Atlantic regional law firm with offices in Washington, D.C.

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The firm will mail information about the investigation to employees' homes this week, Marcuccio said.

"I want to stress that the city is committed to allowing Saul Ewing to conduct a prompt and thorough workplace investigation and ensuring that employees who participate in the investigation are free from unlawful retaliation," Marcuccio read from a prepared statement. "We encourage all employees with information that may assist in the investigation to participate."

Marcuccio did not say how much the investigation is expected to cost.

The Sentinel , ranging from managers who were required to change performance evaluations to racist comments from supervisors.

City seeks Charter Review Commission applicants 

The city is seeking candidates to a panel that will review the city's charter.

"It may take six months and it may meet every once and a while. But that'll be up to the commission to decide how they want to proceed," Marcuccio said during Monday's meeting.

The council . It will review the city election calendar, term lengths for the mayor and council and the number of members on the council. The panel will make recommendations to the council before year's end.

The council could use the recommendations to craft questions to pose to voters on the November 2013 ballot. The referenda will be nonbinding, and it will be up to the council to decide whether to make changes to the charter.

Applicants should send a letter of interest and a resume to city clerk Douglass Barber at Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850. The deadline is 5 p.m. June 4.