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Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman Accuses Board Member, Auditor of Unfounded Investigations
Summary
County Clerk and Recorder John Ackerman told the board during public comment that Member Harris and Auditor Funkhouser led two months of executive sessions based on "fictitious allegations," and he said he and his staff were not given opportunities to answer or be questioned about the claims.
John Ackerman, Tazewell County Clerk and Recorder of Deeds, used his public-comment time to accuse Member Harris and Auditor Funkhouser of conducting "unprofessional, inappropriate activities" over the prior two months and of prompting executive sessions he described as based on "fictitious allegations." He said the executive sessions totaled about two hours and were held without allowing him or his management staff to explain or answer the claims.
"For the last 2 months, you have held executive sessions for 2 hours based on this fictitious allegations and based on little to no factual information," Ackerman said, urging the board to consider whether the investigatory process was professional and thorough. He said reports cited by the board were prepared without firsthand questions to him or his staff and accused the pair of "spinning a web of myths without being challenged with facts."
Ackerman declined to discuss every allegation in detail during his remarks but pointed to multiple areas the report questioned — from voucher claims to record-keeping — and said those items could have been addressed with direct, two-way questioning rather than extended executive sessions. He framed his remarks as a defense of office practices and an appeal for more collegial fact-finding.
Ackerman closed by reminding the board of his election by county citizens and his statutory responsibilities, saying the investigatory approach taken by the finance chair and auditor was "highly unprofessional."
