MADISON COUNTY, Iowa – New court filings show the Madison County Auditor has taken legal action to counter a recent decision made by the Madison County Board of Supervisors.

Online records show a petition for a “writ of certiorari” was filed in District Court on April 3 by Auditor Teri Kaczinski. The formal request is asking the Iowa Supreme Court to review
the board’s March 26 decision not to approve the hiring of Leslie Beck as a part-time Second Deputy within the Auditor’s office for $27 an hour.

Beck has been a controversial figure for months following multiple efforts by Kaczinski to employ her using county funds. That includes 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 recently organized a monetary fundraiser for Supervisor Chair Heather Stancil, who abstained from the vote at the center of the court filing. The agenda resolution to approve the hiring of Beck ended in a tie with Supervisor Jessica Hobbs voting in favor and Supervisor Diane Fitch voting against it.

The court petition claims, in part, that the Board cannot reject an appointee “on frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary or capricious grounds,” and goes on to state that the “vote against approval of the resolution was on frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary or capricious grounds.” You can read the petition in its entirety above.

After voicing her opposition during the meeting, Supervisor Fitch explained she was worried about transparency and the process in which Beck’s hiring situation had been handled previously.

WHO 13 reached out to Auditor Kaczinski and all three supervisors for comment after the filing was obtained, but has not heard back. A BOS meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

This is just the latest sign of discord within the county government in recent months, following the arrest of the Madison County Treasurer, reports of alleged money mishandling, major budget cuts and contentious BOS meetings.

Iowa News: