BEAUFORT, S.C. — The head of Beaufort County Council is raising doubts about parts of an outside investigation into why Pinky Harriott, who ran county finances as CFO, left her job in the spring.
Council Chair Alice Howard said the 14-page Quick Group report leans heavily on a June 11 letter that county spokesperson Hannah Nichols said in an email was only a draft and was never signed or mailed to Harriott. Howard also said Harriott was not fired and instead signed a resignation.
The investigators, retained by way of Howell, Gibson and Hughes, a law firm, conducted 43 interviews, well above the 26 in the county’s own human resources review. They found that three of the four matters cited to justify Harriott’s exit were not backed by the evidence. Harriott, who held the job for about a year and a half, left effective May 12.
The county has paid $71,900 for the work so far. A supplemental report mentioned at the Oct. 12 council meeting is no longer planned, with the county saying more inquiry would not justify the added cost to taxpayers.
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