According to the undated letters signed by Swain, their terminations are effective at 4:30 p.m. March 1.
Swain declined to comment further Wednesday, saying, “I have more information but I can’t release it yet.”
Chief deputy clerk Jeff Wyrick, administrator Jerome Cook, finance director Stephanie Harris, administrative assistant Stacy Carpenter and purchasing agent Diane Bicknell are all on paid administrative leave until their termination is effective, according to their letters.
Wyrick, Cook, Bicknell and Carpenter declined to comment. Harris could not be reached for comment.
Wyrick opposed Swain for the Butler County Republican Party Central Committee’s appointment to the clerk of courts post, which formerly belonged to Cindy Carpenter, now a county commissioner.
Swain said other changes include merging the administrator and chief deputy positions. She said that job — chief deputy clerk — will be filled by Gretchen Senft.
Butler County GOP screening committee chairman and central committee member Don Spurlock said Swain “alluded to the fact that she wasn’t going to clean out the office in the beginning. She needed time to evaluate each individual.”
“It seemed like there was no intention on her part at that point to do anything, but then again everyone has different definitions of the word ‘time,’ ‘evaluate,’ ‘beginning’ and so forth,” he said.
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