Madison County Board of Supervisors clash over auditor position
In the crowded basement of the Madison County annex building, tension seems to mount every time one woman's name shows up on the Board of Supervisors agenda; Leslie Beck.
She's twice been poised for a part-time position under Madison County Auditor Teri Kaczinski but is yet to make it onto the office's payroll. Each time the question of her hire is taken up by the county Board of Supervisors, public backlash accompanies it.
Tuesday, the most recent resolution to onboard Beck failed in a tie. Supervisor Jessica Hobbs voted in favor, Supervisor Diane Fitch was opposed. Board of Supervisors chair Heather Stancil abstained because Beck is operating for Stancil's husband.
As the votes were tallied, the already tense meeting devolved into shouts following a heated exchange between Fitch and Stancil. Hobbs and Stancil threatened to remove attendees multiple times for the interruption.
The reason pushback continues to arise, and Beck is yet to be hired, can be viewed on the , where Beck is listed as the party's co-chair. She was also Kaczynski's campaign manager when she ran for the office she now holds, and hopes to employ Beck.
Days into her term, Kaczinski put a resolution forward to create a new, part-time role in her office and hire Beck to fill the position — all in one motion. That prompted concerns from some residents about unfair hiring practices and the vote was tabled.
Kaczinski did not respond to vlog's requests for comment, but did speak at the meeting Tuesday.
According to Kaczinski, her office is in dire need of staff. Without help at the office, she said she's concerned her office may be unable to cut paychecks, and open up the county to a potential lawsuit.
She also said the position was posted for 10 days before the second resolution was put forward to the supervisors.
After the vote, Stancil backed up Kaczinski's concerns and told Fitch she was "disappointed" in her for not voting in support of the resolution.
"We have to trust our elected officials that they hire who they want. It seems to me that you are intentionally sabotaging this particular political office because your preferred candidate did not win," Stancil said.
Fitch disputed the claim, and said her reason for rejecting the resolution while casting her vote was that the resolution was still not satisfactory.
"I have misgivings. I think that it doesn't seem transparent," Fitch said. "I have nothing against Leslie Beck. I don't really know Leslie but she's probably incredibly competent, but I want things to look in order. I want things to be transparent."
Watch the video above for the full story.
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