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'Cronyism' investigated in DSS hiring
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After the NewsChannel 36 I-Team broke the story that the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services hired employees with political ties during a hiring freeze, Mecklenburg County Commissioners have demanded answers.
County Manager Harry Jones is set to meet with commissioners Wednesday in a closed-door session.
The I-Team found that even though the county Department of Human Services was under a hiring freeze, Director Mary E. Wilson hired a friend and former co-worker who is the wife of an at-large city councilman.
DSS hired the daughter of CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe in January and the daughter of Superior Court Judge Yvonne Mims-Evans in February.
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Wilson hired Samara Foxx, wife of councilman and mayoral candidate Anthony Foxx, last July after posting the position for only one day, according to a DSS spokeswoman.
Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts e-mailed the county manager, writing, "There are serious allegations of cronyism (church members and friends being hired) and it is in everyone's best interests to look into them and clear this up as soon as possible so that DSS can continue to meet the challenges they face in this economy."
Late Tuesday afternoon Samara Foxx e-mailed a written statement saying she graduated with honors from UCLA and the University of Michigan Law School and adding,"My qualifications are clear. I have worked my entire life to uphold the highest standards of integrity, and I expect, even as my husband begins his campaign to lead our city, that the facts, not innuendo, will prevail."
Viewers have e-mailed WCNC.com asking for a complete list of people hired by DSS during the freeze. WCNC-TV has filed an Open Records Act request asking for those names.
