Tag Archives: holden

Memo on Shelby Election Administrator Mistakes

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A Shelby County Election Commission personnel memo shows management missteps, including those marring August elections in Collierville and Millington, led to a suspension and probation for administrator of elections Richard Holden.
Further from the Commercial Appeal:
But the commission’s decision to discipline Holden apparently was made at an executive session, closed to the public, after an Aug. 28 special meeting, and would appear to violate the state’s open meetings law.
Holden on Friday had a one-word response to the questions about whether he believes the commission’s actions were just: “No.”
Election commission members Thursday declined to provide details about Holden’s three-day suspension without pay, set for Oct. 1-3, and six-month probation through February, that were spelled out in an Aug. 29 memorandum. But the two-page memo in Holden’s Shelby County government personnel file made available Friday cites issues with the Aug. 2 elections in Millington and Collierville, as well as general management issues as reasons for the disciplinary action.
In addition, the commission warned Holden, who has an annual salary of $96,400, that the results of an investigation of the election problems by the state comptroller’s office could trigger further discipline, “up to and including termination of your employment,” the memo states.
The commission also provided Holden with an eight-point list of actions required during his probation, ranging from completing the upcoming Nov. 6 election “without a major incident” to attending a Dale Carnegie or similar leadership training course. Carnegie was the author of the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
The personnel memo, which a handwritten note signed by commission chairman Robert Meyers says was given to and discussed with Holden on Aug. 30, cites the following as causes for the suspension and probation.

Shelby Election Administrator Suspended

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The Shelby County Election Commission has voted unanimously to suspend administrator of elections Richard Holden for three days without pay in October, with probation of six months to follow, reports the Commercial Appeal.
Election Commission member George Monger said the board voted Aug. 29 to suspend Holden because of personnel issues in the office and problems with the Aug. 2 election, in which thousands of voters received the wrong ballots.
During Holden’s probation, he will have to modify his management style, Monger said. Another provision of his probation is that the November election will have to run successfully.
“We had a host, a series of issues in the August election and because of that, the buck stops at the top,” Monger said. The disciplinary action was “certainly justified,” he said.

Shelby Election Administrator Offers an Explanation

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Shelby County’s chief election official says the County Commission’s failure to develop its redistricting plan, the loss of critical local precinct-change data by the state, the massive complexities of redistricting overall, and a new staff without redistricting experience contributed to unprecedented local problems in the Aug. 2 elections.
From the Commercial Appeal:
The County Commission’s redistricting plan was legally due last Dec. 31, but was never finalized. The Shelby Election Commission decided on June 14 that it “must proceed at a rapid pace to implement the redistricting at all levels” based on no county commission plan, but the next day a court ruling approved a plan — and that ruling was promptly appealed. That was only a month before the start of early voting.
“I believed we could not act until the county commission enacted a redistricting plan,” Shelby Elections Administrator Richard Holden wrote. “Had they acted in compliance with state law, we would have implemented the plan we developed after the March election certification and the results would have been dramatically different.”
And despite preparations that started two years ago and the fact that “the potential for problems was well known throughout the state,” Shelby election officials did not become aware that voters were being issued incorrect ballots for their districts until early voting began last month, Holden said in a 4½-page letter e-mailed to State Election Coordinator Mark Goins Wednesday night.