Tony Ondrusek, Publisher

Q: When is a contract not a contract?

A: When the Maryland Insurance Administration says it is not, despite all the legal experts who state otherwise.

That pretty much sums up the case that the MIA is making against Bill Jews, the former CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield CEO who had a sweet severance package of nearly $18 million.

This month, the state began long-awaited hearings on the executive compensation arrangement, and Insurance Commissioner Ralph Tyler has made it clear through his questions and comments that he wants the agreement overturned.

While it is a boatload of money, it is not out of line with what his peers are making when they leave companies in better shape than when they came on board. And no one can argue that Jews did just that.

So why the big push to nullify this legal contract?

Because the new hotshot governor, Martin O’Malley, wants to appear “consumer friendly,” and the insurance commissioner wants the kind of headlines that Elliiott Spitzer used to get before he got the kind that he wishes he wasn’t getting now.

But all the experts and lawyers in the hearing room are dispelling any notion that the Jews contract was invalid, and the entire hearing is a waste of taxpayer time, and most importantly, taxpayer money.

The governor, state legislature, insurance administration and the CareFirst board of directors at the time had no problem approving the contract when it was written. But headline grabbing is in the veins of some folks, regardless of how the law is written. Don’t they have some legitimate concerns to address instead of this huge waste of time and money?