There was no official vote taken.
“They told me that they weren’t going to vote to rehire me so I told them I’d just go ahead and retire,” Townsend said. “It was extremely disappointing. I feel like they let a few people sway their decision.”
Many residents and district faculty members spoke out strongly against the request, in which Townsend agreed to get $21,000 less in total compensation.
“Ms. Townsend decided to go ahead and retire so there was no need for a vote,” said board president Barbara Stafford.
The board will vote at noon today on the placement of an interim treasurer. Stafford said retired Wilmington City Schools treasurer Jesse Wilson and Southestern Local treasurer Brad McKee will be interviewed before the meeting.
“Ms. Townsend will leave June 30 and after that, we really can’t conduct business like writing checks unless we have a licensed treasurer,” Stafford said. “It will take some period of time to conduct a formal search for a permanent treasurer.”
Townsend, whose last day in the office was Thursday, said she’s proud of her record, including at least eight straight clean audits.
She wouldn’t comment on what she would tell permanent treasurer candidates. She was asked if the district would hire someone for less than her $98,189 salary.
“No, not unless they’re willing to bring somebody in that has no experience,” Townsend said. “They’ve done that before and it’s been pretty catastrophic.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6951 or mgokavi@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author