County assessor warned against nepotism
Jefferson County Attorney Terry Wynne warned County Assessor Gloria Tillman “the assistance of the criminal authorities” will be sought if she reportedly continues to violate state law and a county ordinance against nepotism.
The county has alleged Tillman, who was elected to her position in January 2023, defied county Ordinance 2003-52, which prohibits elected officials from using “their office, the influence created by their official position, or information gained by the virtue of their position to advance their individual personal economic interest or that of an immediate family member.”
Wynne issued a letter dated March 28 to Tillman warning her that the employment of her daughter Morgan Tillman “appears to violate this ordinance.”
“This letter is to advise you that this violation must cease immediately and your daughter cannot be paid for any work subsequent to the date of this letter,” Wynne wrote. “To do so would require violation of this ordinance.
“Issues related to your daughter’s employment and employment benefits (sick leave, vacation, etc.) prior to this date are being addressed to determine whether any further corrective action may be appropriate.”
A process server Friday morning hand-delivered the letter to Gloria Tillman from Wynne dated April 11, according to documents provided to The Commercial. In that letter, Wynne told her it was his information that she continues to employ her daughter in violation of both state and county law.
“If you persist to continue violating state law and county ordinance, we will seek the assistance of the criminal authorities,” Wynne wrote. “Please confirm that you have removed your daughter from your staff and payroll within twenty-four (24) hours.”
It is not known whether Morgan Tillman has been removed from payroll, as her mother was interviewed before The Commercial received the correspondence Friday night.
Article II of the county ordinance specifies: “That this Ordinance shall not employ and shall not directly supervise any member of their immediate family including, but not limited to; their spouse, child, parents, or other persons standing in the first degree of relationship.” Article III explains “an elected official’s spouse, child, parents or other persons standing in the first degree of relationship” shall not be prohibited “from being employed in a County Department that is not directly supervised by the elected official.”
Gloria Tillman said Morgan Tillman does not work directly under her and has two supervisors and a chief of staff directly ahead of her.
Morgan Tillman did not return a message seeking comment. She has worked in the assessor’s office since 2016, before her mother was elected to the position, Gloria Tillman said.
“When I decided to run for office, I went to the judge and personally talked to him about her working here,” Gloria Tillman added, referring to Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson. “He said he had no problem with it, and he felt that it was good with her experience I needed to keep my experienced people on staff, and he would go and talk with the [justices of the peace] and see if any of them would have a problem with it, which he didn’t feel like they would.”
Robinson denied making that statement to Gloria Tillman.
“I don’t recall any conversation like that,” he said via text. “Because we had several conversations and they all consisted of trying to help find her daughter another position within the county.”
Violators of Section 2516-1001 through -1007 of the Arkansas Code, which provides rules against nepotism, are subject to a fine of $1,000. The county ordinance, however, does not provide a penalty for violation.
According to a copy of a letter provided by Robinson, his chief of staff Rosetta Giddens stated she called the U.S. Department of Labor on April 2 and asked about “this Nepotism situation” and how to pay Morgan Tillman. Giddens said she was told the younger Tillman must be paid for time worked but not for benefits, including vacation time, compensatory time off, and “holdback time.”
In another letter dated April 2, Robinson informed Gloria Tillman that Morgan Tillman was to receive the same letter from Wynne she received on March 28, along with a copy of the county ordinance.
“Ordinance No. 2003-52 … has been in place since 2003,” Robinson said. “Please adhere to the letter at hand or my position will be to seek further legal action.”
Robinson told The Commercial he couldn’t say how he could pursue legal action, but he would do so.
Robinson, a second-term county judge, has come under fire from employees and justices of the peace for his perceived handling of the county budget, as well as his recent decisions to lay off 10 workers from the road department and to suspend payroll for all county employees until former Assessor Yvonne Humphrey, who works in Gloria Tillman’s office, is removed from an April 15 payroll claim that she has accrued sick leave.
“It is my obligation to ensure that the county does not pay an employee for time they legally don’t have,” Robinson said in an April 13 article. “This is a policy violation as well as not lawful.”
Gloria Tillman, who has worked in the assessor’s office since January 1998, said she comes to work every day doing what she is “supposed to do” with regard to staying in compliance with the state. An example she gave is that her office is preparing for the May 31 assessment deadline and reminding citizens to have their property assessed by that time to avoid penalty.