The longtime clerk of Country Club Village was escorted out of the Village Hall Monday morning by Police Chief Richard Scott. Observers say Scott was acting under orders from Chairwoman Carolyn Clemens of the Village Board of Trustees
Clerk Julia Elder offered her resignation last Friday effective December 24, but officials say she was terminated immediately. Elder was told she was no longer welcome at the Village Hall, where official had changed the locks.
She was escorted to her desk, asked not to turn on her computer, and told to collect her personal belongings.
Board chairman Clemens accused Elder of “releasing privileged information” to members of the public. Sources tell St Joe Post that information involved a legal opinion offered by Village Attorney Ron Holiday pertaining to the upcoming sales tax vote in Country Club Village. Holiday reportedly told the board that under statute they cannot earmark funds from the sales tax to the police department.
But “releasing privileged information” might be a little strong. Two private residents of the Village say they received that opinion in E-mails from members of the board.
Elder insists she did nothing wrong with what was in fact public information.
“She stated that I had given privileged information away, and that I had incited the residents,” Elder said in an interview. “She was referring to a letter on the half-cent sales tax, I believe, that was written by attorney Ron Holiday. It went out to board members and it was in the packet.”
“I did not release the information. I only released specific things that were asked of me, and nobody asked me for that opinion letter. I didn’t release it.”
Elder says her resignation had to do with what she called “horrible mistreatment and blatant disrespect.”
“The board did some things that I was uncomfortable with so I just resigned,” she said. Among those things was the way the board recently handled the Village’s waste-water treatment fund. “The board dissolved approximately $230,000 that was in an obligated fund for waste-water treatment maintenance. The money did not go anywhere, but, they put the fund to zero, which means there’s no money in that fund now.”
Board member and Vice Chairman Ed Chrisman says the 3-2 vote to dissolve the wast-water fund was controversial. And, while the approved ordinance moves those funds into the Village general fund, there are abundant rumors that the intention was to use that money to supplement another obligated fund dedicated to street maintenance.
Chrisman says without Elder at the helm, the Village of Country Club could see some rough sailing ahead.
“We’re in a world of hurt,” Chrisman says. “No one knows that job now. The board, and the board members know what she does, but nobody knows how to do it. We’ve got a lot of end-of-year stuff coming up and no one knows how to do it.”
“Julia knows that job, and should be teaching the board members what has to be done.”
Ms Elder is peaved at the board, but plans no retaliation.
“I was released solely upon the chairman’s authority, not by board authority,” she said. “It’s against the ordinance. The Board of Trustees has to act as a whole, not one person can make that official. The locks were changed on my office the morning after my resignation.”
Elder says she reported for work Monday morning, but was greeted by Ms Clemens, Mr Chrisman and Police Chief Scott. She expects the full board to take up her firing at a meeting scheduled Tuesday night. In the meantime, Elder says she is putting out resumes and looking for work elsewhere, but has no plans to take legal action against her former employers.
“I had fully intended in putting in my full two weeks notice, and making a smooth transition. Anyone who knows me for five minutes knows I’m not that kind of person.”
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