The Associated Press is reporting that the LaPorte County Assessor, Carol McDaniel, is facing removal. The LaPorte County Commissioners voted 2 to 1 to refer the matter to the county prosecutor after a report of misconduct from the Department of Local Government Finance. The allegations are that cash was mishandled, assessed values reduced without proper evidence, and there was noncompliance with parts of a state-ordered reassessment. The LaPorte County assessor says she’s being targeted by wealthy remonstrators with allies in the Daniels administration.
Craig Davidson, writing for the Herald Argus has more.
The commission was given a report from the Department of Local Government Finance critical of McDaniel and, for the first time under a 2008 law, allowed the county to begin the process of removing her from office. Two weeks ago, La Porte County Council President Mark Yagelski presented the report to the commission as required by the law.
. . .
Although Huston called the paperwork submitted to council from the DLGF “damning,” she said other factors were more so. Huston cited that the DLGF document had 36 questions from a deposition but did not include everything, and that because county employees don’t know what’s going to happen to McDaniel, work has come to a stalemate.
. . .
Now, the process moves to the prosecutor’s office, where Beckman is required by law to file information in La Porte County Circuit Court. Judge Tom Alevizos will make the final decision. After the meeting, Beckman said he couldn’t comment because he did not yet have the files for the case.
The DLGF memo is here (pdf). The DLGF’s authority to recommend removal apparently comes from IC 6-1.1-4-31.
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