CLALLAM COUNTY – Our recent story on Dean Brookshier, one of four finalists to replace Jim Jones as County Administrator, revealed what appears to be a cloud of controversy around his departure from his last post in Clay County, Missouri.

We talked with County Commissioner Mark Ozias to get an understanding about why the Commission sees Brookshier as a strong enough candidate to make the short list.

Much of the controversy around Brookshier’s previous job, from which he resigned last month, centers around the 9,000 signatures collected demanding an audit of his departments, with allegations of corruption, a lack of transparency, record tampering and tens of thousands of dollars in penalties the county had incurred after failing to pay it’s bills on time.

The Clay County Board of Elections is in the process of verifying those signatures before that audit can begin.

We asked Ozias if the Commissioners would be comfortable moving forward with a decision before that audit was completed.

The four finalists will have on-site interviews on September 6 and 7, and the public will get a chance to meet them on the evening of the 6TH.

(Photo courtesy of mycouriertribune.co)