City Auditor Miranda Meginness has resigned from her position effective Jan. 21. Deputy Auditor Marden Watts has been appointed as interim auditor by Mayor Bill Collins.
Meginness did not respond to a request for comment.
In her letter, Meginness wrote that the decision was not made lightly and that she doesn’t know what the future holds.
“I refuse to allow my mental health to degrade any further by continuing to submit myself to the games of local politics,” Meginness wrote.
She wrote that she had “little to no support” from other elected officials and has sacrificed time with her family to address the “seemingly never-ending list of problems.”
“I didn’t take this job for notoriety, power, prestige or popularity,” Meginness wrote. “I took this job for what it is: to be a public servant.”
Collins wasn’t surprised to get her resignation letter.
“At least we can move forward now and start getting a plan together,” Collins said. “And try to fix what’s been broke for a while.”
Collins and Twila Laing, finance committee chair, maintain the administration has tried to aid Meginness in addressing the problems the city faces.
“The administration has been more than supportive,” Laing said, “to offer solutions and give her help and bring people in, all of which she’s refused.”
Meginness wrote that she knows the chances of “someone being unqualified earning this spot are very high.”
Shawn Barr, First Ward, who, along with Laing, submitted an affidavit to the Ohio Auditor of State to have Meginness removed, said he has no personal grievance with Meginness.
“It’s sad it had to come to this point,” he said, but he believes the city can begin to move forward.
“I think she has done the best thing she could possibly do for the city,” Laing said.
Search begins for new auditor
Collins appointed Watts Jan. 21 effective immediately, but he won’t stay in that role permanently.
The mayor has a list of candidates he believes could take up the auditor’s office, but didn’t share any names, saying he’s in the “planning stages.”
While he expects an adjustment period in the auditor’s office, the communication between Watts and city administration hasn’t been an issue.
“Marden, this will be the second time he’s been left in charge after the auditor has left,” Collins said. “He’s capable of keeping things running while we work together with him to help him any way we can. We’re going to provide the resources necessary … we’re going to make it work.”
Meginness second consecutive auditor to resign from office
Meginness was appointed to the role of city auditor in 2021 after the former auditor Robert Landon resigned.
“I went into an office that was broken beyond belief, with no common goal, let alone someone willing to step in and take the lead,” Meginness wrote.
She later ran for the position again and won the election. Her term would have ended in 2028.
Meginness’s resignation comes less than a week after three city council members filed affidavits with the Ohio Auditor of State detailing complaints against Meginness.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion City Auditor Miranda Meginness resigns after tumultuous week
Reporting by Abby Bammerlin, Marion Star / Marion Star
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