Our sources reveal that Town Finance Director, Stacey Lemos, has tendered her resignation effective August 24th.
LOVE is not surprised. For 8 years, Lemos was used to being handed softball questions by the former Hiremath council; questions designed to elicit answers that would always portray the Town’s Community Center and Golf Course finances in a positive light.
All that changed when the new council took office in the fall of 2018. Lemos was now being asked more probing questions and being asked for more clarification on her answers. One of our LOVE readers wrote about Ms. Lemos’ visible discomfort during the March 20th council meeting when Mayor Winfield questioned her regarding losses vs. surpluses at the Aquatic Center and at the Golf Courses.
From a LOVE Guest View published on April 29th
“Lemos appeared uneasy when answering Winfield’s question regarding the difference between a loss, a subsidy, and a surplus. My impression was that she does not like to answer questions that haven’t been scripted in advance (as many people believe was the case during the Hiremath reign in order to paint the Community Center and Golf financials in a positive light.) Winfield was trying to point out that you don’t have a surplus when the expenses are higher than the revenues and she just wouldn’t say it.”After that incident, many suspected that she would tender her resignation within six months. Hopefully, her replacement will be someone whose loyalties are to the citizens who pay his/her salary rather than to the Hiremath “holdovers” of Pina-Rodman-Solomon who continue to try to paint the golf course financials in a positive light.
