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Residents urge Cleveland County to reconsider termination of finance director
Summary
Multiple residents, including the terminated director’s spouse, urged the Board to reconsider the dismissal of former Finance Director Philip Steffen, calling his record principled and experienced; the Board later held a closed session to address an employee matter but made no public personnel decision.
Multiple residents used the Board’s public-comment period to urge Cleveland County commissioners to reconsider the recent termination of former Finance Director Philip Steffen.
Trey Whisnant told the Board he strongly supports Mr. Steffen and suggested the dismissal may have been tied to Steffen’s willingness to question financial decisions. Mel Lockhart and Mark Blackwell also spoke in support of Steffen, describing him as professional and community-minded. Denise Steffen, the former director’s spouse, asked the Board to reinstate him and said the delayed audit cited in the personnel action carried no penalties and did not justify termination.
No formal personnel action was taken in open session. The Board later entered a closed session under N.C. Gen. Stat. §143-318.11(a)(3) and §143-318.11(a)(6) to consult with counsel and consider personnel matters; Chairman Kevin Gordon stated after the closed session that the attorney had been given direction on a confidential employee matter and staff had been given guidance on an employee-related personnel matter.
