NC Auditor's Unusual Hiring Practices

0:00In Durham today, March 1st, Dave Bolieck, North Carolina State Auditor, ran on a promise to shake up his office and make it more proactive. Once elected, he converted 12 career employees from protected status to at-will positions and then ended their jobs. The office settled lawsuits from those workers for a total of $747,000 including legal fees. That payout topped the entire $630,000 in employee settlements across all state agencies and universities the year before. Bolieck took over. His spokesman noted that such deals happen regularly in state government, sometimes at higher costs elsewhere. Still, switching protected staff to at-will before cutting them loose stands out as unusual. Critics worry, this move chills the remaining staff, making them hesitant to challenge bosses or reports. The head of the State Employees Association called it a risk to job security that could weaken the office's watchdog role.

1:00Former auditor Beth Wood had kept most employees protected to encourage open objections and independence. Under Bolieck, the office has grown more active, now appointing state board of elections members and running a new accountability division. It has released quick reports on local governments, plus audits of the education lottery and motor vehicles division. As some of those reports face pushback for missing context, errors, or not giving four responses to targets, free internal checks from secure staff might help avoid those issues in an agency meant to enforce rules fairly. A quick thank you to our sponsor of today's episode. Do not just listen to podcasts, get lost in them comfortably, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.