MADISON COUNTY, Iowa — The Madison County Auditor has filed legal action against the Madison County Board of Supervisors, requesting the Iowa Supreme Court to weigh in on a decision made by the board of supervisors last month. KCCI-TV reports, during a board of supervisors meeting on March 26, the board did not approve the hiring of a position put on by the County Auditor Teri Kaczinski’s office: a part-time Second Deputy Auditor. Leslie Beck has been put on past meeting agendas twice for the position. Beck was Kaczinski’s campaign manager when she ran for the County Auditor’s Office.

According to a Facebook post by Kaczinski, Beck worked for a firm that she announced the auditor’s office was hiring as a consulting firm to help address several inherited issues with the office. The resolution on March 26 ended in a tie. Board of Supervisors chair Heather Stancil chose to abstain from voting because Beck is operating a fundraiser for her husband. While Supervisor Jessica Hobbs voted in favor, Supervisor Diane Fitch was opposed.

The petition for Writ of Certiorari filed on April 3 states, “It is the Auditor’s statutory right to appoint a deputy auditor with the approval of the Board, and ‘county supervisors should recognize and approve any reasonable and proper appointment made by an elected county office.’” It goes on to state that the Board cannot reject someone on “frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary, or capricious grounds” for reasons such as “they did not like the color of the hair of the appointee, nor because of his politics, religious affiliation, nor age, unless the matter of age was contrary to statute.”

Through the court documents, Kaczinski’s attorney claims Supervisor Fitch’s vote against the approval was “on frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary or capricious grounds” and that the Board “exceeded its authority and acted improperly and illegally when it denied the Auditor’s resolution to appoint Beck as a deputy auditor on frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary or capricious grounds.”

The petition was not brought up by the board during a meeting Tuesday, but residents did bring up some of their frustrations during the public comment section. It was previously reported that Kaczinski put a resolution forward to create a new, part-time role in her office and hire Beck all in one motion. That led to concerns from residents about unfair hiring practices. The vote was then tabled.

Kaczinski previously stated the position was posted for 10 days before a second resolution was put in front of supervisors. She also says her office is in dire need of staff and without help, she’s concerned her office may be unable to cut paychecks.  While she wasn’t physically at Tuesday’s meeting, Kaczinski did speak over the phone during it when a resolution to hire a different employee was passed 2 to 1.

All the supervisors declined to speak with KCCI, citing the pending litigation as to why they couldn’t comment.