The employment of Hamilton County Attorney Rheubin Taylor may become a matter for a court to decide or it may be worked out before it reaches that stage, but evidence of his poorly run office continues to mount.
Last month, in a news release announcing Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp’s decision to terminate Taylor, Chief of Staff Claire McVay said the mayor had concerns about private legal work Taylor was doing on county time, that he had breached attorney-client privilege with the mayor’s office and mentioned the previous admissions that his office had destroyed documents related to open records requests.
Wamp had more concerns about the office but held them back, hoping Taylor would make a graceful exit and could be honored for his years of public service as a Hamilton County commissioner and county attorney.
Late last week, with the situation at a standoff after the County Commission voted to fulfill Taylor’s contract through 2025, the county mayor cited some of the concerns in a meeting with Times Free Press reporters and editors.
Of special note to us was the growth of government Taylor has presided over in the past five years. The budget for his office has nearly doubled over that time, growing from $889,500 in 2017 to more than $1.5 million in 2022, according to Wamp. But even that growth wasn’t enough.