In a letter sent today, the executive director of the state Board of Elections announced his “decision to terminate DeNay Harris as Director of Elections for New Hanover County" was now final.
The New Hanover County Board of Elections filed a unanimous petition to remove Harris in late March; Harris has reportedly been on paid administrative leave since then. The county confirmed her employment ended on Tuesday.
Confirming earlier anonymous reports, Sam Hayes, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, wrote that he initially issued the decision on May 20. While Hayes agreed with the unanimous petition he received from the local elections board, state law gave the State Board of Elections 20 days to defer his decision and schedule hearings.
Since the state board did not intervene, Hayes’ decision became final at the end of the day on Tuesday, he wrote.
Harris filed a response to the petition at the end of April. However, her attorney, Wilmington lawyer Gary Shipman, declined to share it with the press, though he called efforts to remove his client “clearly pretextual, retaliatory, and unsupported by reliable evidence.”
WHQR contacted Shipman, asking about next steps, and will update this report with any response.
Jamie Getty, chairwoman of the New Hanover County Board of Elections, said they had no comment at this time. The subject is likely to come up at their meeting next week.
End of a brief, turbulent chapter
Harris was hired in January and started work in early February. Her first few weeks went relatively smoothly, but following Primary Election Day, her relationship with NHCBOE and the office of County Manager Chris Coudriet deteriorated rapidly. By law, the county provides funding for election facilities and staff, but election offices remain independent state agencies.
Related: Between the offices": Relationship between NHC elections director and county manager on shaky ground
Harris made numerous allegations, including claims that county staff who had been assisting with the election had broken election security laws, after which Coudriet implied to Harris that he could withhold county resources. Harris and at least one NHCBOE board member said they felt Coudriet was overstepping — and not for the first time — but Coudriet said he felt his comments were appropriate.
Harris suggested there was a web of relationships between people in local leadership, although she failed to explain how these might be nefarious. Harris also alleged she was bullied and retaliated against for attempting to enforce those election laws. She claimed that part of that retaliation involved manipulating her email, saying some messages were deleted from her inbox and, on at least one occasion, a message was sent to the press from her account without her knowledge. Harris told reporters she believed this was being done by Coudriet and her own board to undermine her position. Both the county and NHCBOE have denied all forms of wrongdoing.
Below: Executive Director Sam Hayes' letter
