Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/161733
Sarasota News Leader August 30, 2013 Page 31 leagues that, after she learned of the situation, the public and said, 'This employee lied about she undertook her own research — combing having a CPA degree.'" through emails and personnel files — to dePatterson added, "It doesn't seem to me to be termine what had happened when. the end of the world." She discovered Gable had not had a CPA license since 2005, Robinson noted. "It would Moreover, she pointed out, Reid has been have been a different story," she said, "had the county's administrator only since JanI gotten the explanation [from staff] … 'We uary 2012, and "the county was in turmoil" made a mistake; we should have checked. … when he came. County Administrator Jim Ley had been forced Here's what we're doto resign as a result ing to make sure this My bigger problem is just the of a scandal in the doesn't happen again.' ongoing morale concerns. Procurement DepartBut that's not what ment, and the deputy Joe Barbetta Commissioner administrator "was happened in this cirSarasota County pushed out. A number cumstance." of people lost their Vice Chairman Charles Hines told his col- jobs," Patterson stressed. leagues that he, like Patterson, had heard As for the employee atmosphere, she confrom Reid about the CPA factor. The imprestinued, "When we climb on staff, which I'm sion he had from Reid, Hines added, was that guilty of, too — I'm not pointing fingers — it Reid was very upset that Gable never made makes people actually literally scared to come him aware of the situation. in front of us. They should be able to handle Robinson said she was also upset because Ga- it, but it doesn't help morale." ble "was touted in a press release" as a CPA. The Aug. 17 email Reid sent to the board about Gable's accepting the Sarasota County position said, "This hiring adds a CPA to our financial management staff, which was one of the concerns expressed in my initial interviews." REID'S REMARKS After Patterson suggested Reid be given an opportunity to respond, he told the commissioners he had made an effort to inform each of them about Gable's situation — both the lack of the CPA license and her family health County staff and the commissioners were told concerns. "It was hurtful to me," he added, Gable was a CPA, Robinson added, "and that's that Gable had not told him about her CPA a pretty big deal." status. Regarding the resignation, Patterson said, "The administrator was not going to want to hang her out to dry publicly. … I don't think I would respect an administrator that went to Additionally, he said, "We have resignations frequently here, and they tend to be left as resignations," without elaboration on the reasons.