BLYTHEWOOD – Three weeks ago, on Nov. 7, Mayor Sloan Griffin unilaterally hired a deputy administrator who, The Voice has learned, is under criminal investigation by SLED (State Law Enforcement Division).
Griffin hired Tiffany Cooks as the Town was searching for an assistant town administrator.
Instead of Town Administrator Daniel Stines hiring his assistant, Griffin formed a search committee the first of September, 2024, composed of the mayor, the town marketing manager, the town administrator, and two Manor employees.
After interviewing 16 applicants, the committee offered the job to one then another of the three finalists. The first, then the second choice applicants turned the job down after each accepted counter offers from their current employers.
Griffin then dispensed with the remaining 13 applicants and the committee and took over the search, settling on Cooks, who had not applied for the job. Griffin also decided to change Cooks’ title from assistant town administrator to deputy town administrator.
Cooks had applied for the town administrator’s job earlier this year but, by law, council hires that position, and the majority of council did not select Cooks.
A native of Buffalo, NY, Cooks was elected Williamsburg County supervisor in 2018, but was defeated when she ran for reelection in 2022. During those four years, she collected more than $100,000 in overtime pay, according to an investigation conducted by The Post and Courier’s Uncovered team earlier this year.
In a follow-up editorial on Aug. 3, 2024, the Post and Courier stated that, “State law actually prohibits overtime pay for any salaried government employees, elected or not. Nevertheless, during Cooks’ tenure as Williamsburg County Supervisor, other government officials also were beneficiaries of overtime pay.”
While the editorial stated that it was not known “whether Williamsburg County Council authorized the payments, because the council clerk couldn’t provide minutes for council meetings during some of that time …if the council didn’t play a role, that means Ms. Cooks made a unilateral decision to illegally supplement her $103,000 salary by a quarter [$27,000].”
A spokesperson with SLED told The Voice on Monday that Cooks is being investigated, but would not disclose any other information about the investigation except to say that it had been prompted by a call from Kelvin Washington, Cooks’ successor as the Williamsburg County supervisor, on Feb. 10, 2023, to investigate the case. The investigation was formally opened on Feb. 28, 2023.
According to the published Uncovered investigation, the disbursements to Cooks and other county officials occurred under Cooks’ watch. “She billed herself as a reformer in a scandal-prone county when she took office in 2019. Four years later, Cooks appears to have received over $100,000 in overtime pay while in office, documents show.”
The Uncovered story noted that “Cooks lost a re-election bid in 2022 to Kelvin Washington. Records show the questionable overtime payments ended when Washington started as supervisor.”
When asked about Cooks, as an elected official, giving herself multiple financial supplements, Griffin dismissed the issue, saying, “Wasn’t that during a natural disaster? You have to go back and look at the dates to see if they were under Federal declaration.”
To that end, Griffin shared a Facebook comment posted by Cooks last July about her overtime pay. It said, in part: “As per page 13 of the county policy approved in 2015, the County Supervisor can approve overtime for both exempt and non-exempt employees during declared and undeclared disasters.”
The Voice has been unable to reach Cooks for comment.
“There are some places where they have to give overtime to all staff in order to qualify for certain funds,” Griffin said. “But I’m not going to get too deep into that stuff. I’m not worried about it. If something comes out, something comes out …this is just stuff like MPA. It’s too much politics. She [Cooks] hasn’t been indicted on anything,” he said.
In a press release that Griffin sent Monday night to The Voice, the Minority Eye website, the town administrator, the town’s attorney, town clerk and marketing employee, Griffin noted that Cooks holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership from Ashford University, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy focusing on Applied Management and Decision Science from Walden University.
“As Deputy Town Administrator, Dr. Cooks will oversee critical operations, spearhead grant initiatives, and work closely with the mayor and local stakeholders to implement strategic growth and enhance community services,” the release stated.
Asked to comment on Cook’s hiring process, Councilwoman Andrea Fripp declined.
“I will refrain from commenting on the appointment, by the Mayor, of Dr. Cooks until the conclusion of the SLED investigation,” Fripp said.
Councilman Rich McKenrick and Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock felt differently.
“It would be my hope that our Town Government follow established procedures while hiring for any town position,” McKenrick said when contacted by The Voice. “Our town leaders should be looking for the most qualified individuals through the interview process and consider all available information when considering a candidate, specifically, in this particular matter, an ongoing SLED investigation that has been publicized repeatedly for some time in the media.”
Brock said he had questions not only about the candidate’s circumstances, but about the hiring process in general.
“It’s my position that the hiring of Ms. Cooks under these circumstances is quite concerning. I have numerous questions for the mayor regarding this hire and look forward to having them answered,” said Brock. “The SLED investigation not withstanding, the fact that it appears that the hiring process was circumvented is also concerning.
“I feel these questions must be addressed by the entire governing body. We are the stewards of the Town and must be diligent in all aspects of the Town’s operations,” Brock said.
Councilwoman Erica Page did not respond to The Voice’s request for comment.
Cooks currently served as the town administrator for the Town of Estill, SC, where she spearheaded transformative projects, including the $250 million ‘Project Green Spark,’ aimed at economic and community development, according to the mayor’s press release.
Asked if Cooks, who will be paid $90,000 annually, would report to Town Administrator Daniel Stines, Griffin said she would report to both Stines and the mayor. Stines, who previously served as the Town’s interim administrator, is paid an annual salary of $107,000.
Griffin said Cooks will report to work at Blythewood town hall on Jan. 13, 2025. He said she has 27 years of experience in public safety, local government and emergency management as well as an exceptional record of academic and professional achievements.
During an interview with The Voice about his hiring of Cooks, Griffin said that, as strong mayor, he will be doing the hiring for all town hall employees, and that Stines will hire employees for public works positions and other similar jobs.