In an exclusive interview with The Mississippi Link former Hinds County Administrator Vern Gavin said, “It is simply a matter of having to please three supervisors at all times.” Gavin made this statement after news of his termination became public knowledge.
In a 3-2 vote, the Hinds County Board of Supervisors axed Gavin Monday, March 1, during an executive session. Supervisors Robert Graham, Doug Anderson and Peggy Calhoun voted for his removal while Supervisors George Smith and Phil Fisher voted to keep him.
Gavin had managed the day-to -day operations of county government since March 2008 and saw his termination coming. “The only reason it didn’t happen earlier is because it took awhile for Calhoun to be convinced to fire me,” Gavin said.
Gavin said he does not have a story other than ‘not being able to please all of the supervisors.’ “With the Board of Supervisors you deal with a lot of individual personalities and its like you have five different bosses and that’s tough,” he said.
Five bosses- five personalities- five agendas and five different set of expectations.
Gavin acknowledged his routine was filled with pressure. “Everyday it was something different, and when I made a decision that I thought was in the best interest of the county and if it went against any particular supervisor, I risked alienating myself from them,” he said. “It was more than a notion.”
Smith agrees with Gavin.
“His job along with a few others is very tough,” Smith acknowledged. Smith thinks the board should adopt a policy to create an evaluation mechanism for the four county employees that report directly to the board. In addition to the county administrator; the public works director, EOC director and county attorney all report directly to the supervisors. “I voted to keep Gavin because we do not have a tool whereby we can evaluate these people and access their job performance and help them improve upon their weaknesses and highlight their strengths,” Smith said.
Anderson said Calhoun was one of Gavin’s biggest supporters and brought him to the county. “Peggy brought Gavin to us and for her to turn on him; I guess you can say something really went amuck.”
What that something is no one is really saying.
“I don’t care to share any specifics about Gavin, except to say he just didn’t please enough of us [supervisors],” Anderson said.
The job of county administrator is a will-and-pleasure job, meaning you have to obey the will of the board. Anderson shared the board does not have to have a paper trail or do any of those other things like regular employers do when it comes to terminating an associate. “Like Gavin said, you just have to please at least three supervisors at all times,” Anderson remarked.
Fisher also disagreed with the way the board handled Gavin’s termination. “It was wrong, it wasn’t on the agenda nor was it on the executive session’s agenda,” Fisher said. “You don’t disturb someone’s livelihood in that manner.”
When asked during his tenure whether the board ever took action on an issue without it being on the agenda, Fisher said you asked the question and I will answer. “Yes, when it was time for me to become president of the board, Anderson made a motion to change the rules for a year so that I would not be president,” Fisher said. “I later found out that some of the board members didn’t think it was proper protocol during the first year of Obama’s presidency for a white republican to serve as president of the board.”
County government is primarily controlled by the State Legislature and HB 4 dictates the authority that county supervisors have with its will-and-pleasure employees. “While I voted for Gavin to remain as county administrator, I want to be very clear that these types of employees (will -and-pleasure) have a very clear understanding of the rules and regulations about their positions when hired,” Smith said.
Smith asked Human Resources late last year to create an evaluation process and is hoping that at least three of his colleagues will vote to support the measure.
The board has tapped EMS coordinator Ray Bryant to be interim administrator until it hires a replacement. No timeline has been given for a new hire.
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