A first-term Jasper County treasurer is suing his own county to gain access to 73 bank accounts he claims were hidden from him.
Michael Skinner, who was elected county treasurer in South Carolina’s Lowcounty in November 2022, said he took the extraordinary step of filing the complaint with the South Carolina Supreme Court after losing his first year on the job. faced disorder and obstruction.
The complaint, known as a Writ of Mandamus, asks the state’s highest court to order Jasper County Administrator Andrew Fulgham and Jasper County Administrative Services Director Kimberly Burgess to add Skinner as a signatory on all county bank accounts.
“I’m not trying to discredit anyone, I’m not accusing anyone of anything. I just want access to the accounts to do my job for the people of the county who elected me,” Skinner said Thursday at a news conference in front of the Jasper County Government Building.
When contacted on Friday, County Administrator Fulgham responded in an email: “We have not yet received a lawsuit, but as soon as we do, we will consult with our attorney to review the claims. We expect him to advise what, if any, response is appropriate, as the province generally does not comment on pending litigation.”
When Skinner took office at the start of the fiscal year in July 2023, he encountered unprecedented “chaos and disarray” in the county treasurer’s office, according to the complaint filed by attorneys Ronald Richter and Eric Bland, best known for representing the victims of the murder of Alex Murdaugh. financial crimes.
The situation indicated attempts to sabotage his ability to perform the duties of his office, the complaint said. The office was held by Verna Garvin, a Democrat, for the past 22 years until Skinner, a Republican, defeated her in November 2022.
According to the lawsuit, when Skinner arrived at the treasurer’s office, he discovered that documents had been removed and stored, with no indication of what had been taken or where it was stored. The petty cash drawer was discovered three days after Skinner took office, locked in another county official’s office. The treasurer’s website had been taken offline and toner cartridges had been removed from the printers.
There were no transition memos or written policies for the agency’s procedures, including how to coordinate with the county government’s finance department.
“’This is how we’ve always done it’ has been the recurring theme,” Skinner said. “In a small county like Jasper County, that can actually work until it doesn’t work anymore.”
A review conducted by Mauldin & Jenkins, an accounting firm based in Atlanta, described Skinner as experiencing “limited typical transition assistance,” as well as “limited staff continuity, a reduced workforce, and no formal policies, procedures, and/or user manuals . for carrying out the operational tasks of the Office.”
The state could not reach Garvin for comment.
Most alarming, Skinner said, is that he was unable to account for the county’s bank accounts and was met with “heavy resistance” when he tried to track them down.
“When the state authority asked how many accounts we have, I couldn’t answer. What’s in it? Do not know. Who has them? Again, don’t know. It was actually quite embarrassing,” Skinner said.
Working with local banks and state Treasurer Curtis Loftis, Skinner said he was able to identify 96 bank accounts owned by the county. But Skinner said he has only signed 23 of those accounts.
When he reached out to become a signatory, the banks, including South State Bank and Bank of the Lowcountry, told him that the other signatories, alleged in court documents to be Fulgham and Burgess, denied his request.
Richter said at Thursday’s press conference that asking why would be a “logical question,” but there was no explanation for the refusal.
“Everyone in Jasper County should do their utmost to ensure this man is successful in his job,” Richter said. “The way we got to this point is the treasurer asks one simple question: ‘Can I see Jasper County’s bank accounts?’”
The accounts he had access to were “not set up to make money,” Skinner said, characterizing the current situation as a missed opportunity for taxpayers.
“If there’s money there that isn’t doing any good, I can use that and get us more money for the taxpayers,” Skinner said. Since coming to power and gaining access to the province’s bank accounts, he has been able to generate $1.7 million in interest for the province, he said.
Since he took over as treasurer eight months ago, Skinner said, the county has twice hired an outside firm to audit his office, despite not having had a single audit in 22 years. A third audit was ordered, according to the lawsuit.
While the audits revealed some discrepancies as he “stumbled” into his new role, Skinner said he “welcomed the process” and called for a broader look at the province, not just his office.
“I wish it could have been a bigger snapshot, it was just a snapshot of my office,” Skinner said.
