    
Bev Harris
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 10465
Registered: 12-2004
Best of Black Box? N/A
Votes: 0 (A keeper?) | | Posted on Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 4:40 pm: | 
|
Local election boards in Tennessee are claiming they can fire election administrators based on political party. The state attorney general disagrees. Nevertheless, ousted they are: Loudon County's election official, fired. Roane County election official told "You're out."
At issue in Tennessee is whether the position of election administrator is a hire or an appointment. Many election commissioners believe they have a right to appoint election administrators to a term, rather than hire for the position as needed, and that such appointments can be solely based on party politics.
Six counties have already announced they are pushing out their election officials; Monroe County's election administrator is sweating his job, and officials in Anderson, Union, Sevier, Greene, Knox, Jefferson and Cocke County are in the hot seat. Cumberland, McMinn, Hamblen, and Morgan election officials have already bit the dust.
WBIR - April 23, 2009, by Anthony Welsch
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=85535&catid=2
Many crying foul as election administrators see unprecedented turnover
Wednesday is judgement day in some respects for Randall Moser as he waits to hear his future from Monroe County Election Commission.
Moser, the election administrator in Monroe County, was hired as a 26 year old by a democratic election commission 14 years ago.
On this night, he became the latest administrator sweating his job as part of an unprecedented season for election administrator turn-over.
"The majority party for the past 140 years has been the democratic party. In November, they won both the House and Senate," Tony Brown, Roane County's election administrator, said.
Because of that new majority, local election commissions are now in republican control. Some believe that means they have the power to appoint the election administrator in each county.
That leaves those hired by democrats, like Brown and Moser, nervous they'll be replaced.
"Everybody is scared, it's been a hectic time," Brown said. "We were well-respected, and it wasn't because of me. It was because of the people I surrounded myself with."
Along with at least eight others from East Tennessee, including Greg MacKay in Knox County, Brown is still awaiting his fate. Roane County's Election Commission will meet Friday where Brown expects to be replaced.
"I've met with one of the election commissioners who said I would be replaced Friday," he said.
Counties considered "up in the air" by administrators:
Gail Martin, Anderson County
Larry Roe, Union County
Ed Kuncitis, Sevier County
Jo Roberts, Greene County
Tony Brown, Roane County
Greg MacKay, Knox County
Tycia Kesterson, Jefferson County
Joyce Slagle, Cocke County
Six other counties have already decided they're getting rid of their old administrators.
That list includes:
Suzanne Smith, Cumberland County
Loretta Sliger, McMinn County
Wanda Neal, Hamblen County (retiring partly due to commission)
Minnie Armes, Morgan County (retiring partly due to commission)
Dana Zehner, Loudon County
"Ninety-nine percent of the things done in an election office are not subject to what you want to do," Zehner said. "They [the commission] gave no reason to fire me."
Loudon County's Election Commission essentially fired Dana Zehner Tuesday, and democrats argue no "reappointment" is necessary. Many republican election commissioners said they believe they have a right to appoint election administrators to a term, rather than hire for the position as needed.
"There is nothing in the state statute that says you're reappointed every two years [as the commission changes]. You're appointed until you're dismissed," Brown said.
"There was no conversation at all. All information I had heard was hearing second or third, way down the list," Zehner said.
The moves come despite Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper's opinion that politics nor party can be grounds for termination.
"We think that a court could find that the dismissal of a county administrator of elections solely upon the basis of political party affiliation constitutes a violation of that individual's First and Fourteenth Amendment rights," Attorney General Robert Cooper wrote in his opinion.
Still, Zehner said she has never been formally reprimanded or had a formal complaint filed in an election she's run in.
Like others, she said politics and power are behind the change.
Back in Madisonville, after briefly looking over the six total applications, Monroe County commissioners get rid of Moser. The 3-2 vote was split straight down party lines.
Just minutes later, a democrat commended Moser for the job he did.
"I think you've done a good job over the years. We appreciate you," he said.
The republican chairman of the commission agreed, but voted in favor of another candidate.
"It's not solely because of his political affiliation," Jim Miller, the Monroe County Election Commission chairman said. "I wont tell you why exactly I voted the way I did or didn't, or why I didn't vote for Paulette Summit because you'd have to get into it for everyone, and I don't want to do that."
In the meantime, Moser slipped out the backdoor, wife and two children at his side. He has started conversations with an attorney about possibly filing suit.
Until then, he's printing off resumes and starting the job search like so many others.
"I prayed that the Lord would help me through it, and I believe he will," Zehner said.
This article also archived in Tennessee - State of section of this Web site. |
