Less than an hour after issuing a news release saying the Hamilton County Commissioners have rescinded the appointment of Lisa Charles as the County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO), the commissioners now say they have “temporarily” rescinded the action .
According to the commissioners, a three-member committee recommended the appointment of Charles, with the understanding that residency requirements for the position could be waived. Indiana code IC 10-17-1-5 states that a county veteran service officer must be a resident of Indiana for at least five years immediately preceding their appointment. Charles moved to Indiana in 2018.
“We believe the interview process produced the most qualified candidate to help our county veterans,” Christine Altman, president of the County Commissioners said in the news release. “Unfortunately, we have learned the residency requirements cannot be waived.”
The three commissioners have asked Charles to continue working full-time in her current position while they sort out the details. Efforts are currently underway at the Statehouse that could change the residency requirements.
“We understand there is legislation going on downtown that could change these artificial residency requirements,” Altman says. “We will reserve the appointment of an official CVSO until we see what shakes out in the legislature this year.”
The Veterans Service Office has a full-time CVSO and two part-time positions. A military veteran and Carmel resident, Charles was an assistant to the Hamilton County Veteran Service Office prior to her appointment.
In a story published January 25th by the Hamilton County Reporter, Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Joe Weingarten accused the commissioners of not following state law in the appointment of Charles.
What a privilege it must be to belong to the Hamilton County elected establishment. When laws stand in your way, you just go to the Statehouse and get them changed.
And why would Commissioner Altman call the residency requirement “artificial?” I’m not sure I even know how a law can be artificial. Isn’t it, by virtue of being codified in Indiana Code, a very REAL thing? Or is that how our Commissioners view all laws: artificial, flexible, malleable?
(This is in NO way reflects upon my opinion of Ms. Charles or her qualifications, but rather the methods of the Commissioner(s). )
Logan, I’m not paying my artificial county property taxes this year. There is a rumor that one person downtown (probably just a panhandler, I can never tell the difference) said they might be rescinded.