Resident alleges abusive conduct in Register of Wills office; commissioners say removal of elected official is outside their authority

Robert "Bob" Kallak told the board he witnessed an incident on Feb. 17 in the Register of Wills office in which an individual allegedly berated and visibly upset an employee.

"The guy in the room was degrading her," Kallak said. He told the board he picked up a business card on the desk that said "James Roman" and asked whether that was the person "talking to them like that." Kallak described the employee as visibly shaken and said other women in the office appeared afraid to speak up.

Kallak said he had searched online and found previous complaints about the individual and asked the county to take action, including formal discipline or removal. "There needs to be accountability," he said.

Chair responded that county commissioners do not have authority to remove elected officials. "An elected official cannot be fired by the county commissioners," the chair said, noting the board does not supervise independent elected offices and that removal would require action at the governor's level or through appropriate legal channels.

County staff told the meeting the complaints had been referred to the county human resources department and that the county's landlord attorney was interviewing individuals and preparing a response. "These complaints have been turned over to the county HR department, and the county's landlord attorney has looked into it, is interviewing individuals and will give you some type of response and report," a staff member said.

Kallak offered to provide his phone number to officials and said he would speak privately with investigators. The board thanked him for bringing the matter forward; no independent action was taken by the commissioners during the meeting.

Next step: County HR and county counsel inquiry as described by staff; commissioners reiterated their limited authority over independently elected county offices.