Beaufort County Council refuses to say what led to administrator’s departure. Why?
A week after Beaufort County’s highest-ranking employee resigned under pressure, the county’s governing body refuses to explain what happened.
Though a separation agreement confirming the administrator’s departure hasn’t been finalized, Beaufort County is expected to pay former Administrator Ashley Jacobs her full $190,000 salary for a year; her full health, dental and eye insurance for one year or until she finds another job; and pay her for any unused and “unforfeited” leave.
In return, Jacobs must promise not to sue.
Last Monday, Beaufort County Council, which had previously agreed in a closed-door meeting to fire Jacobs, voted to accept her immediate resignation.
Since then, the council has refused to provide any explanation to the public for why it was planning to fire Jacobs — whether the disagreement was philosophical or something else. The council also hasn’t discussed what Jacobs’ departure means for the county moving forward, or how the body chose Eric Greenway, the county’s community development director, to fill Jacobs’ seat temporarily.
The council’s silence regarding Jacobs’ departure is compounded by the fact that the county is now left without a full-time administrator during the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the government to close buildings to the public. The county is also in the middle of several massive projects, including the $272 million U.S. 278 project on Hilton Head Island. And it’s fighting a lawsuit filed by Hilton Head over law enforcement services.
Jacobs, who started as administrator in April 2019, said in a statement last week that she submitted her resignation after reaching an “agreement” with the council. Almost a week later, the public still has not seen the official agreement.
Jacobs thanked her staff and employees in the statement but declined to comment further on her resignation.
.jpeg "Ashley Jacobs - Copy_fitted (2).jpeg")
Council Chair Joe Passiment said Friday that the county’s separation agreement with Jacobs was “in the process of being signed,” and council members will vote Monday night on whether to accept it. The agenda for Monday’s council meeting shows the council plans to vote on Jacobs’ severance package.
The bulk of discussions, and decisions, related to Jacobs’ resignation have happened behind closed doors.
The council’s refusal to discuss its displeasure with Jacobs’ performance prior to and in the wake of her departure has resulted in widespread rumors, confusion among the public and outrage from Jacobs’ supporters.
But the council’s top leaders — Chair Passiment and Vice Chair Paul Sommerville — are steadfast in their silence. They say the resignation of the county’s top employee is a “personnel matter” exempt from public disclosure.
Last week, Council member Mike Covert told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that a 6-5 majority of the council planned to fire Jacobs. Covert was against that decision.
Asked Friday whether the council will explain on Monday what led to Jacobs’ resignation, Passiment said, “We’re not going to discuss it at all. We will accept the terms of her resignation.”
Asked why the council chose Greenway, who was not next in the line of succession, as acting administrator, the chair said, “That was the choice. We’re not going to get into that.”
Sommerville said he would not discuss the situation because “personnel matters are private.”
York Glover, the lone council member who voted not to accept Jacobs’ resignation (two others abstained), was more candid and expressed his displeasure over how the governing body has handled Jacobs’ departure.
He said he was “pleased with” some things Jacobs did as administrator and “not pleased” with others, but said council never gave Jacobs an opportunity to address its concerns.
A week before Jacobs resigned, the elected body held a three-hour, closed session to conduct Jacobs’ annual performance review. Jacobs was not in the room for the majority of the private meeting. She waited outside in the hallway.
“The way council handled this, I’m not satisfied,” Glover said. “It’s not the way to treat people. It makes it look like, as a council, you’re not fair.”
Glover said Jacobs’ resignation will make it hard for the county to find a qualified replacement.
“I’ve dealt with six county administrators in four years,” he said. “That’s not good.”
As for Jacobs’ temporary replacement, Glover said Greenway was among three potential candidates considered to fill Jacobs’ position temporarily while the county looks for an interim. The other two were Phil Foot, assistant administrator for public safety, and Dave Wilhelm, the county’s special projects director, Glover confirmed.
The agenda for the next executive committee meeting Monday indicates the committee plans to discuss the interview process for the interim county administrator position.
‘Discord and distrust’
Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said he did not want to appear critical of the county’s handling of Jacobs’ departure, but he is “curious” what happened.
“As a citizen, it would be nice to have a better understanding of what this was all about,” he said. “It just is a little curious how there wasn’t more clarity or transparency in terms of what was going wrong in our county.”
Keyserling said his relationship with the county during Jacobs’ tenure was “good,” and “things seemed to be moving forward.”
A day after Jacobs’ resignation, the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce released a statement thanking Jacobs for her service and urging the council to “reset and rebuild a culture of trust and cooperation” in the county.
“Many will question the circumstances that led to this outcome, but what matters most is what County Council will do now to lead Beaufort County government forward,” the statement said. “The level of discord and distrust among council members and county staff that is now widely reported and apparent at public meetings is not conducive to the kind of government Beaufort County residents and businesses need.”
The chamber said the council should hire a “well-qualified” administrator and empower that person to do his or her job. Because “without leadership by council, a new administrator can do little to change the culture at county government.”
“The stakes are great,” the statement said. “The pandemic still threatens public health, and a precarious economic recovery threatens businesses. MCRD Parris Island’s future is in question and a new countywide comprehensive plan in development. Leadership is required on all these fronts and more.”
