FAST FACTS* Grace period for new election commissioners to be certified is six months.* Date Gary Reames was appointed Marion County election administrator on May 27.* Date of county general and state primary elections will be held Aug. 5.Source: Tennessee Election Commission
JASPER, Tenn. — Marion County’s new elections administrator said last week that he plans to wait until after the Aug. 5 election to achieve certification for the position.
“I’ve got six months to get certified,” Gary Reames said.
He was hired at the same salary as the former administrator, but Mr. Reames’ pay could drop by several thousand dollars if he isn’t certified within that grace period.
According to state law, election administrators aren’t required to be certified, said Mark Goins, the state’s coordinator of elections.
For example, former Hamilton County Election Administrator Bud Knowles never took the certification exam, Mr. Goins said.
“There is no time limit, but there is a carrot, so to speak,” Mr. Goins said, because certified administrators typically earn about $15,000 more than those who remain uncertified. About 90 of the state’s 95 election administrators are certified, Mr. Goins said.
Mr. Reames’ May 27 appointment followed the resignation of former administrator Holly Henegar on April 8. Ms. Henegar’s resignation letter cited “harassing behavior to such an extent that it has seriously altered the conditions of my employment,” according to newspaper archives.
Mr. Reames’ wife, Dean, who was fired from a job at the elections office, filed a complaint with the state Division of Elections on Feb. 1 accusing Mrs. Henegar of fraudulent payroll transactions and of hiring family members.
The complaint led the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to launch an investigation. The probe is incomplete, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said Tuesday.
Ms. Henegar served under a Democratic-dominated county election commission. Mr. Reames’ appointment came after Republicans took the majority of the seats.
Mr. Reames said that election commissioners across the state have been helping him prepare for his position and he’s been reading law books, as well.
Mr. Goins said two election administrator exams are scheduled this year, one this m month and one in late August.
Because the training and exam are so intensive and time-consuming, Mr. Goins said it’s smart for Mr. Reames to wait until after the election to take the test.
“It’s a lot to learn in such a short period,” he said. “I know he’s a very bright individual, but it’d be hard for me to imagine that he could take it at the end of this month and be ready.”
Mr. Goins said that, while he encourages administrators to take the exam, his concern is that too much focus generally gets placed on the test instead of the election.
Getting the Marion County election office up to speed should be Mr. Reames’ top priority, Mr. Goins said.
“He inherited a very bad office; the recordkeeping is horrible,” he said. “He has a tremendous amount of work to do. I know what he’s inherited, and it’s a mess.”
Attorney John Ray Clemmons, who represents Ms. Henegar, disputed that.
“I think Mr. Goins’ statement would come as a surprise to anyone who had been part of an election during Ms. Henegar’s tenure or who voted in any of the elections, which were held in an organized and timely fashion,” Mr. Clemmons said. “No allegations of impropriety or disorganization have been alleged prior to this time.”
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