Paid-leave offer revoked for 10 state office employees

The secretary of state’s office employees who were told they’d be placed on paid leave through mid-January when their employment will end won’t remain on payroll after all.

Last week, the 10 employees were told to stop coming to work because they won’t be retained by Secretary of State-elect John Thurston, but current secretary of state’s office officials said those workers would be placed on paid leave until Thurston takes office Jan. 15.

However, Secretary of State Mark Martin’s chief deputy, Kelly Boyd, told the employees in a letter this weekend that the offer of paid leave was being revoked under the advice of Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.

Boyd’s letter, which was obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette over the weekend, gave the employees until 5 p.m. Monday to pick between two options.

“1. You can resign effective Monday December 3, 2018 and receive any due unpaid accrued vacation time with your final pay (up to 240 hours),” the letter reads. “2. Alternatively, you may choose to exhaust your accrued leave and remain [a secretary of state] employee during that time. Once accrued leave has been exhausted, you will be placed on leave without pay until January 12, 2019 at which time your employment will cease.”

A spokesman for Secretary of State Mark Martin declined to comment Monday afternoon.

It’s common to have staff turnover in state constitutional offices whenever a new officer is elected. Thurston, a Republican from East End, is the current commissioner of state lands; he was elected the next secretary of state last month. Martin is term limited.

Those being terminated include a division director, a state Capitol police officer and a number of administrative assistants.

Boyd will also not be retained by Thurston. He’ll be the chief deputy for Thurston’s replacement, Land Commissioner-elect Tommy Land, R-Heber Springs.