Allegations of “tax irregularities” were at the heart of this week’s decision by the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (SCDDSN) board to fire its executive director, Mary Poole.
The 5-1 vote – first reported by Seanna Adcox in The (Charleston, SC) Post and Courier) – was led by the former state senator David Thomas from Greenville, SC
Thomas told Adcox that the board made its decision “for the agency’s sake” but refused to provide a reason for Poole’s expulsion from it $ 171,400 an annual position (not counting the benefits).
Before taking charge of that agency in July 2019, Poole – who came from York County – had at least a quarter of a century of experience working with citizens with intellectual disabilities.
According to Adcox, the board voted to dismiss Poole after a long closed meeting – continuing a disturbing trend for Palmetto state officials to conduct people’s business in secret.
In addition to Poole’s resignation, sources familiar with the situation tell us that at least two of his employees have been placed on administrative leave in connection with the alleged “tax irregularities”.
Obviously, this media continues to investigate in the hope of determining precisely what kind of alleged financial irregularities may have occurred.
Regular readers will remember our founding editor Will Folks criticized this agency in the past.
“SCDDSN is emblematic of the Palmetto State’s inexplicable, duplicate and ineffective bureaucratic approach to public health,” wrote Folks in the fall of 2017, when the agency’s former director resigned amid a scandal.
Responsible for assisting individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries, the SCDDSN must coordinate service between the federal government and a wide network of organizations at the county level.
According to the reporter Tim Smith in The Greenville Newshowever, the agency was dealing with a number of problems, including long waiting lists for services, a dysfunctional payment system, as well as a supplier with “a worrying record of resident deaths, employee arrests, lawsuits and allegations of abuse and neglect. “
Who is responsible for this agency? This is a good question …
In typical South Carolina style, “it’s complicated”. Like the SC Department of Health and Environment Control (SCDHEC), which has challenging results, this agency is run by a council appointed by the governor Henry McMaster with the advice and consent of the Senate of SC.
Wait … why wouldn’t McMaster simply appoint an agency leader who is directly responsible for him?
Because that would make a lot of sense … And it would force the chief executive of the state to actually take some responsibility for the agency’s performance.
For those of you who score points at home, SCDDSN received $ 797.4 million in the most recent budget approved by state legislators – including $ 264.5 million of the budget of the general state fund.
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-FITSNews
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