County wide nepotism policy might not impact some elected officials
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JACKSON, Tenn.–Madison County has no nepotism policy in place for employees. Even if there were one,it would not apply to certain elected officials, such as the sheriff. Some county commissioners said they are against the recent hire of Sheriff John Mehr’s wife, Michelle, for part-time work at the sheriff’s office. “It’s wrong and it shouldn’t be done, you know? But because it’s not illegal, we try to use that to get around it, but it’s wrong,” County Commissioner Luther Mercer said. County officials said Sheriff Mehr did not break any regulations.”Each department is responsible for their own hiring,” county commissioner Jimmy Arnold said. Elected offices are considered constitutional, which is why a county wide nepotism policy would not be enforced at the sheriff’s department. “It was quite surprising when I first looked at it, but we do have to remember that this is a constitutional office and those departments establish their own policies,” Arnold said. The sheriff’s department employee handbook has no policy on nepotism and does not even outline rules for relatives working within the same department. “Its going to be a problem. Its a conflict of interest. He’s the head and nobody is going to buck him,” Mercer said. Commissioner Mercer said he would prefer hiring or promoting from within. While commissioner Arnold said sometimes the most qualified employee just happens to be a relative.
