Ehrlich aide denies firing allegations

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s chief appointments officer vigorously denied allegations yesterday that the administration booted Democrats out of state positions so they could be replaced with Republicans and Ehrlich loyalists.“Not a single person can ever say, ‘I was fired because I’m a Democrat,”’ said Lawrence J. Hogan, who heads the governor’s appointments office.

Mr. Hogan also denied that Joseph Steffen, the self-described “Prince of Darkness” and a central figure in the probe of the administration’s hiring and firing practices, was sent into state agencies to ferret out employees who could be fired.

He said Mr....