MADISON COUNTY, Iowa — The Madison County Auditor has abandoned an effort to challenge a Board of Supervisors’ decision that prevented her former campaign manager from being hired.
An attorney for Teri Kaczinski filed a motion to dismiss the claims she had made in a petition just hours before a Trial Scheduling Conference was expected to be held Monday morning. The petition for a writ of certiorari, filed on April 3, had formally requested the Iowa Supreme Court to review a March 26 decision by the BOS.
The issue surrounded a resolution to hire Leslie Beck as a part-time Second Deputy within the Auditor’s office for $27 an hour. This was a move that came after multiple efforts by Kaczinski to employ Beck using county funds. Those efforts included twice as an employee of the Auditor’s office and a third time as an employee of a third-party consulting agency that was hired by Auditor Kaczinski in late January for $250 an hour.
Beck was Kaczinski’s campaign manager during her run for the Auditor’s office, and also organized a monetary fundraiser for Supervisor Chair Heather Stancil. Stancil abstained from the vote. Supervisor Jessica Hobbs voted in favor of it, and Supervisor Diane Fitch voted against it, stating she was worried about transparency and the process by which Beck’s hiring had been previously handled. The vote created tension during a public BOS meeting, with Kaczinski calling in on a public line and mentioning a potential lawsuit. You can watch a clip of what unfolded below…