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In a rare move, Prince George's County Council members declined to endorse three department nominees amid questions about their past performances handling troubled departments.

Council members said nothing Tuesday after County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) asked members to support nominees Mary Lou McDonough as the corrections department director, James E. Johnson as director of the Department of Housing and Community Development and Edward M. Scott as director of the Department of Central Services. After Johnson's request, the council adjourned their meeting.

Though symbolic, the lack of a vote carries no weight. Under the County Charter, the nominees are automatically confirmed after 45 days, and officials for Johnson are scheduled to swear in the new leaders Thursday morning after they were confirmed Tuesday.

When asked about the lack of a vote after the meeting, Council Chairwoman Marilynn M. Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton said the council decided not to vote because of a "lack of consensus" by the council.

"We're maintaining the status quo," said Bland, who declined to say what concerns were raised about the nominees and also would not share her opinion on the nominees.

Councilman Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills said it was the first time he could remember in his eight years in office that the group refused to vote on a major nomination.

Both McDonough and Johnson took over after previous managers were fired by the county executive, and faced reluctance from the council before their confirmations Tuesday.

Council members asked no questions and made no statements at the hearing.

McDonough, who has worked for the county since 1973, took over the county correctional center after the June 2008 termination of former director Alfred J. McMurray Sr. after a string of security lapses at the center. At the time McMurray was dismissed, several guns had gone missing from the jail's armory and several officers were charged with crimes, including one case where a former gang member smuggled in cell phones to prisoners.

McDonough had been in charge for less than a month before the death of Ronnie White, a 19-year-old inmate who died while being held on charges of killing a county police officer.

"When you look at the corrections department under Mary Lou McDonough, it has been really well-managed, especially in these bad economic times," the county executive told the council.

Sources said McDonough, who came on as deputy director of the jail in 2005 but is not in law enforcement, was a particular concern for the council — a fact she acknowledged in her speech to the group.

"When they first asked me, I was reluctant. I said, ‘You know I don't look the part,'" she said.

Later, McDonough said she would quit if the council blocked her appointment.

"If I am not approved today, I doubt I will remain acting [director]," she said.

James Johnson, a longtime friend and former special assistant to the county executive, took over the housing department after former director Tommie Thompson was terminated for undisclosed reasons in June 2008.

Johnson recently came under scrutiny when it was revealed his department almost missed a deadline to submit plans for roughly $5.2 million in federal funding for housing assistance programs. A plan was submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development one day before it was due.

"I came to this position in response to a request from the county executive to increase the performance of the department," Johnson told. "The past year has been one of the most challenging of my pubic career, but also the most rewarding one."

The county executive spoke optimistically about his nominees.

"For the next nine months, we are going to meet every goal and we are going to exceed every goal," Jack B. Johnson said. "Those who are not working are now working, very hard."