BEAUFORT, S.C. — An outside investigation ordered by Beaufort County Council has found that the county could not back up most of the reasons it gave for parting ways with former Chief Financial Officer Pinky Harriott.
The Quick Group, a Charleston-area investigative firm hired over the summer, released a 14-page report on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Of four matters the county administration cited for her separation, investigators said three were not supported by the evidence they reviewed.
The firm carried out 43 interviews, well above the 26 done in the county Human Resources review earlier this year. Investigators found Harriott was about halfway through a performance improvement plan and making real progress when she left in May. The report also found that she resigned under the weight of the internal probe.
The review also faulted the county for leaving complaints about Finance Director Sandy Novak out of its original findings, and it flagged conflicting accounts involving County Administrator Michael Moore.
Among its recommendations, the firm urged the county to tighten its whistleblower process, hire an ombudsman and revise its policy on documents left by former employees. Council Chair Alice Howard has said a supplement to the report is still coming, with no date set, and council members have not agreed on next steps.
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