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Steve Martin Is Mayor Nancy Denson’s Hand-Picked New Auditor


Maybe investigating ARMC is a job for Steve Martin, Mayor Nancy Denson’s hand-picked choice to fill the long-vacant position of Athens-Clarke County auditor. There is something of a precedent: Like ARMC, the Athens Downtown Development Authority is a quasi-public agency that’s not a part of, though is legally related to, the local government, although unlike the ADDA, ARMC receives no county funds. 

Incidentally, it was political dissatisfaction with that 2012 ADDA audit that led the mayor and commission to oust John Wolfe last June. The position has been vacant ever since.

After a year, Denson has named Steve Martin the sole finalist for the position, subject to confirmation by the commission Thursday, June 19. Martin worked for the City of Athens and Athens-Clarke County for more than 30 years, retiring as director of the Central Services Department in 2006, then serving stints as a volunteer on the planning and greenway commissions.

“He’s qualified, and he can hit the ground running,” Denson said. “… He knows the government. He knows all the players.”

That’s all true—Martin is qualified. But is someone else out there more qualified? We’ll never know, because whatever interview and nomination process that has taken place took place behind closed doors. The position was never even advertised. “It doesn’t have to be,” Denson said. “It’s the mayor’s appointment… Because I had a good candidate, I didn’t see the point.”

Assuming he’s confirmed, Martin will serve a one-year term and will be eligible for a two-year contract should he apply for reappointment next year. The commission’s Audit Committee is likely to make the Leisure Services Department his first assignment.

Comings and Goings: Robert Hiss, the former Pulaski County, VA, assistant administrator, took over effective Monday, June 2, for Richard White as ACC assistant manager. White took a job as town manager in Elon, NC, in February. ACC Human Resources Director Harry Owens is retiring effective Aug. 22, although he’s using up his vacation time until then, and assistant director Jan Hansford is filling in on an interim basis.

At the Clarke County School District, Sherri Freeman is the new associate superintendent of human resources and student services. She held a similar post in Barrow County. Freeman replaces Robert Bierly, who left under mysterious circumstances in 2012.

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