A member of the D.C. Council said the dismissal of Thomas E. Hampton as head of the District’s insurance division last week came as a “complete surprise and shock” to him and requires an explanation from Mayor Adrian Fenty.
Phil Mendelson
Phil Mendelson, a Democratic at-large member of the 13-person governing body, told IFAwebnews.com that he heard Hampton was removed as commissioner of the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking “after the fact.”
On Aug. 28, the mayor’s office announced that Hampton was ending his 21-year tenure at the agency, which he headed since May 2006. Gennet Purcell, deputy commissioner under Hampton, replaced him Aug. 31 as acting commissioner, pending council confirmation.
When contacted by IFAwebnews.com, a spokesman for Fenty’s office said it “does not comment on personnel matters.”
Mendelson disagrees with that stance.
“I’ve been scratching my head about this and trying to get an explanation like everyone else,” he said. “I think the mayor should explain this. This is not a ‘personnel matter.’ This is an agency head who serves at the will of the mayor and deserves an explanation.”
Having worked with Hampton on public policy and recognizing the fact that “insurance is very important to our local economy,” Mendelson said he had nothing but respect for Hampton and his work at the DISB.
“I’ve never heard any complaints [about him],” he said. “I’ve always found him helpful on issues. If there was a complaint, it didn’t rise to a point where the councilmembers were talking about it.”
Mendelson was first elected to the D.C. Council in 1998 and serves as the chairman of the council’s committee on public safety and the judiciary. He also sits on committees including housing and workforce development and public works and transportation.
For more on this story, see the October editions of Insurance & Financial Advisor.
Councilmember: D.C. ‘mayor should explain’ Hampton’s dismissal via IFAwebnews.com .
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