Last Updated: 6 p.m.
Six years into her tenure–and halfway through her second term–Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks has resigned. Weeks announced her resignation in a letter today “To All It Will Concern, especially the Flagler County voters,” citing family and health concerns, but also numerous budgetary and political grievances.
Weeks’s resignation is effective Tuesday. Kaiti Lenhart, the assistant supervisor of elections, will be in charge of the office. Weeks is recommending to Gov. Rick Scott, who will be responsible for naming the next supervisor, to appoint Lenhart to the position. Lenhart, 33, has a sharp, no nonsense and self-assured work style but is also more approachable, quicker than her ex-boss with smiles, and unafraid of that rarest of assets in the Weeks years: wit. She has been at the supervisor’s office almost six years.
Weeks announced her decision to her staff and to poll workers in a three-page letter this morning that lacked none of the combative verve that characterized her years in office. “Yes, that is true, and she submitted that letter to us today,” Lenhart said.
Weeks’s resignation comes after her most contentious year in office, though her six-year tenure has been fraught with conflict from the start, whether over budgetary wrangles with the Flagler County Commission, disagreements over the consolidation of precincts, the issuance of bonuses to staff or, more recently, conflicts with Palm Coast and the county over election matters. At no point, however, had Weeks–who could combine stubbornness and self-righteousness with remarkable tenacity and conviction that what she was doing was for the benefit of voters–intimated that she was thinking of quitting the $98,000-a-year elected post. Weeks was the leading vote-getter among all local races when she was reelected in 2012.
The resignation letter includes a list of 11 grievances or “issues” Weeks says she has had to deal with, all those issues previously reported since Weeks became supervisor, from her budget struggles with the county commission to her most recent conflicts with County Attorney Al Hadeed and county commissioners serving on the canvassing board.
“I have zero tolerance for such manipulation and obstruction,” Weeks wrote in her letter, which was copied to the governor and the state Division of Elections, “and have honorably served as your supervisor of elections protecting the rights of the voters, not having any complaints or disciplinary actions taken against me by the Governor, the ethics or elections commission regarding the duties despite many false, unproven accusations that have been made against me and misinformation being reported by and to the media.” (The letter, made available to FlaglerLive at 4:40 p.m., is posted in full below the article.)
At least from what’s been publicly known, Weeks could never be faulted for running anything short of clean elections: for all the bombast and conflicts on the fringes of many election cycles, the elections themselves went smoothly with never more than minor, if any, glitches. Weeks herself enjoyed a fierce following, especially among poll workers, though the following was paradoxically partisan, politicizing more than legitimizing an office designed more than any other to remain above the political fray. Weeks herself fueled rather than resolved conflict as she took to filling pages of her periodic newsletter with epic-lengths diatribes that would have impressed the late Hugo Chavez for their angrily populist tone and remarkable stamina.
The announcement took most who know Weeks by surprise. “I don’t know what to make of it,” Ralph Lightfoot, who’ll be leading the Democratic Executive Committee starting next week, said. “I’m disappointed for one because she’s fighting so hard to protect the voters and all of a sudden she’s not there. She said she had some family issues. Her father is very sick.”
Weeks has been under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after she recorded a conversation between the county attorney and a county commissioner without their knowledge, though the conversation was taking place at her office and in a side room, during a meeting of the canvassing board.
Weeks singled out the investigation in her resignation letter, but only to stress that her decision to leave “in no way has anything to do with any investigation currently occurring,” she wrote. An FDLE spokeswoman said today that the investigation is still active.
Weeks is leaving three weeks before a special election for State Senate and the Florida House. “Really it’s for continuation,” Lenhart said of her appointment, “out of the staff here she wanted to pick one who would continue and be able to do the job. It’s going to be a challenge.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Frank Meeker, chairman of the Flagler County Commission, said, as he described himself as “floored” by the news. “The thing I’m concerned about is that we have an organized method of still carrying out a special election. The biggest impact right now is that. The rest of it, I don’t know what to make of it.”
Meeker continued: “I don’t think I have a view on it one way or the other.I know that every elected position has its own difficulties, and what I’ve seen in government over the last 30 years things tend to go smoother in local government whether you’re at the city or the county, even at the state, where everybody is working at the same goal and everybody is working together. And I’ve seen difficult situations where people are not working together. But assuming this is true, I still don’t have anything that confirms anything to me right now, we certainly wish her the best and the speedy recovery of her father and hope that whatever is necessary to be done she’s there and able to do. I’m dealing with the same thing with my mom right now.” Meeker, whose mother is in Georgia, said he understood the dynamics of having to resign to take care of family.
“I certainly hope that whomever the governor appoints is less contentious and more willing to work collaboratively with local governments,” Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts said. “This is not an really where there ought to be contentiousness. The right to vote, the obligation to vote is so fundamental to our way of life that anything that impedes, anything that makes it more difficult, anything that makes it more controversial, is just not good for the soul. Relieved? Honestly, I’m looking forward to a better working relationship.”
City Council member Bill McGuire had not worked directly with Weeks, but had attended many of last year’s canvassing board meetings and had informally become–or tried to become–the city’s liaison to Weeks, who nevertheless rebuffed attempts to “make nice,” as McGuire put it. “It seems like in the last year and a half she just got very, very belligerent and just took on everybody in the county and the city,” McGuire said. “She’s not the same person now that she was some years back when I first met her.”
McGuire also speculated out loud about something officials have so far spoken of only on background: that Weeks was resigning ahead of the governor moving to remove her. McGuire said that “if half the stuff they turned up” during the FDLE investigation were true, Weeks’s tenure would likely not survive had she decided to stay in office. But Weeks for her part, after listing her nearly dozen grievances, and noting that “I have been required, as a result, to constantly be watching my back” (she does not specify against whom), said the stress was too much. “I must consider myself and my family during these difficult times,” she wrote.
Kimberle Weeks Resignation Letter (2015)
confidential says
Publish SOE Week’s letter of resignation for Mr. Meeker and Nets, not to distort the real reasons of her resignation. She resigned over the unsustainable witch hunt county and city imposed on her on their endless goal of fraudulently bend elections on favor of their incumbents. The relentless attacks that took a toll on her health by making ten times the work necessary and under extreme duress to complete the elections process. The false accusations of lack of integrity, the calls for the state to monitor the elections instead, state monitors witness the booting off the canvassing board of not only the FCBOCC chairman but his commissioner buddy resignation as well. The self appointment of the county administrator secretary to take the canvassing board meeting minutes, the five letter name calling of our SOE by Meeker, the disrespectful “doubting of our elections process assurance of integrity” by the same FCBOCC chairman that was kicked afterwards from the canvassing board for violating the elections laws. The initial insulting treatment of the poll workers on the community center location by taping all kitchen cabinets doors, fridge and microwave like if we the poll workers were thieves from the street, when actually all in that community center is owned by us all, the taxpayers! Too bad that now these bozos, without Weeks have our future elections served on their plate to manipulate at will. Good luck and best wishes to the ladies in charge of the SOE work now and I commend them for for their courage to confront the mayhem they will have to endure including derogatory name calling by the same vulgar officials that Mrs Weeks had to contend with and pathetically this county voters re-elected. Take good care of yourself and your family Mrs Weeks, we elected you by a big majority and you served us with honesty and professionalism hardly seeing on those that raised their hands and tongs against you!! You are right we all have just one health and should be cared for as life is short and should be enjoyed, because anyway sooner or later the boomerang of Higher Justice will come to those that have done wrong to you and your poll workers. Happy trails Mrs. Weeks!
BIKER says
Confidential- It must be nice in your world, but in the real world she was extremely disorganized. She is a nut case that creates non issues then picks fight with everyone around her. In this last election her office handed out the wrong ballots, we still dont know what damage may have been caused to the electorate. She had no clue what her role is in the process was, and misstated Florida statute over and over again. All she had to do was supervise the election and she was an overwhelming failure at that. This is a person that appears to have been posting on several blogs under assumed names from computers in the SOE office. Posting comments defending her office. Actually I may be mistaken but I thought the name Confidential was one of the names she used. This is a person that illegally recorded our other elected officials..a felony! Good riddance!!
Maryjayne rosito says
We over in the HAMMOCK are very disturbed from hearing the news about you, YOU DID A HELL OF A JOB AND WE WILL TRULY BE MISSED BY US, WE KNOW U WERE HARASSED AND KNOW WHAT ITS ABOUT.
Lorene says
You must not have worked at the elections in the Hammock or you would have a different opinion.
ella says
I am sorry to see this happen to someone I know worked hard to bring fair and honorable elections to the people of Flagler.
Ron R. says
Buh bye.
Dolly says
I am so excited to read this!!! Yay, it’s about damn time. All I can say is KARMA, you’re nothing but a big bully and guess what? You LOOSE!!!!!!! No sympathy for you lady :)
Nancy N says
It’s about time. Hopefully her successor has some people skills and knows a bit about diplomacy so won’t be such a bull in a china shop.
Anonymous says
What a disgrace by the right wing operatives and oppressors in Palm Coast and Flagler County! You were correct on every count, Ms. Weeks. Thank you for doing a wonderful job and for trying to stand up to a corrupt political machine. We deeply appreciate your efforts.
Will says
Anon… you’re blaming “right wing operatives and oppressors”. I don’t understand. It seems that collusion with members of the right wing Ronald Reagan crowd and the SOE is part of the problem that needs to be both examined and fixed.
What are you trying to say?
just me says
Really right wing operatives and oppressors??? what a laugh where NOT some of her most outspoken supporters in the Reagan club??
John Smith says
Well…its official. Palm Coast government officials are not only corrupt but HEARTLESS BASTARDS !!!
Will says
John, you’re commenting about Palm Coast officials, but Weeks is resigning from a Flagler County position, not one in Palm Coast. Why are you saying what you’re saying? Enlighten us please.
just me says
Umm john its a County position NOT palm coast.
Downtown says
Weeks tried to make the SOE job more important than it is and in the process made a fool of herself. I voted for her but never again should she run for another office. This is a classic example of “The Peter Prinicple” coming into play.
Crow Eater says
98k a year is good money, I bet the entire F section of Palm coast doesn’t even make that much money. Look out Flagler County government employees, I’m going for your jobs.
Does this surprise anyone? says
Nuf said…
Michael says
Boo, who Ms. Weeks, all jobs are tough and come with many different stressors, you made your political problems the publics and that is what sunk you. I have no doubt you were told to resign by state officials for conduct unbecoming to an elected official, the way you complained and stomped your feet was disgraceful. We all have tough jobs to do, the problem with elected officials is you do not need any experience just a good campaign to be elected. Therefore, you can know nothing about the position but a few smiles and promises and you are now an elected official, the shame of it is you may have no idea how to do that job. In my opinion, a person handing out automobile registrations had no business being the SOE, I believe you let the power of the office go to your head and that was your downfall. A true resignation letter is just that, you resign gracefully, not list all your grievances. AT least you stayed true to yourself and went out the same way you held office, complaining.
confidential says
Bikers comments above are proof of the baseless accusations against Weeks and her poll workers as confidential here is not Mrs. Weeks. or one of her workers but just one voter and taxpayer of this county that after 24 years of residing here and in the last 14 years has seeing corruption and corrupt officials and government bullies in the City of Palm Coast and County BOCC taking fraud and corruption to levels not seeing before! Harrassement iverbal name calling of honest and professional constitutitutional officilas elected by a wide majority of the electorate is becoming common practice by these bozos and their administrators in order to force them out and place instead their corrupt buddy puppets.
How come you explain that we have in some of this city enforcement board individuals with a open public court record of delinquent conduct, dictating or not enforcement of our city codes? Maybe Biker is one of them. Thieves of our hard earned taxpayers funds at its best!
confidential says
She should sue for 1. Discrimination/Harassment in the work place. Gender discrimination for being called a “bitch” by BOCC incumbent Meeker and being harassed by city and government officials and their administrators obstructing her work with frivolous accusations undermining the performance of her workers and poll workers that generated 10 times the work to complete every electoral process, under extreme duress to the point that affected her health….
The waste of our tax payers funds by BOCC and Coffey calling the state to monitor our honest election process that resulted on those monitoring to witness the booting of the same BOCC chair and his buddy commissioner off the elections canvassing board for violating elections laws. For not contributing the assigned funds to the SOE to pay her workers, suppliers and the Tallahassee new mandated equipment necessary to conduct the election process.. Maybe the cost to be paid by both government’s city and county insurances and discoveries would be enough to boot some of them from office. I would be sadly surprise if Weeks won’t sue.
KB63 says
This tops and finalizes what Ms. Weeks is about. Unprofessionalism! Like a child with an eqo as big as a house. She resigns with no notice and then is still pointing fingers in her resignation letter. Nothing is her fault still. A professional would not have caused complete chaos, demanding she be heard in making huge stinks in meetings, tape recording conversations, calling the Sheriff’s office 7 times in a day over stolen signs and they sure wouldn’t have put all that crap in a resignation letter! A simple paragraph would do, anyone on either side could come to their own conclusions. She is forever trying to cover her own ass. And 3 weeks before a special election – that confirms what “Integrity” she has. If she truly wanted to protect the voters of Flagler County she should have grown up and handled it in a professional manner!
Brad says
For once she did the right thing. Her letter is quite clear about the problem she has been in that position. First of all, if she was ever truly for the voter then you do not quit because you are stressed right before something like a special election. Secondly, if this County and local municipalities were so corrupt as she says, then again you don’t quit if you truly are for the taxpayers.
The fact is Ms. Weeks has always been about herself and using that office for personal vendettas. That has been quite clear. That is also quite clear in her unprofessional and teenage style resignation letter. All of those items she complained about have 3 finger pointing right back at her. How many of those points are “not enough money”. Well, perhaps she might remember that during the first term this county along with the rest of the country were dealing with a huge financial crisis. Secondly, when a manager uses taxpayer dollars inappropriately and then bold-face lies about that within months of being in position how can you possibly expect anyone to want to give you more for your department. And thirdly, when it comes to money as a manager you better be able to present your need clearly. Whenever it came to money she was never able to properly present things and always referred to “they” when it came to who arrived at the figures. She was obviously never hands on and had no handle on financial matters. Plus you don’t spend day and night viciously attacking others and then expect those same people to bow down to you.
We are far better off as a County with her out of that Office. Hopefully, the next person in there will make very sure she has no access other than the same level as any other citizen. And hopefully the next person will make sure there are no remnants of any of this silly game playing left in that office including anyone who is carrying those things on for her. That Office needs to focus on community outreach and engaging voters to correct the problem of local election turnout and work towards building a culture of voting in Flagler County. From the waste we have seen with Ms. Weks over 6 years, there is plenty of time and resources available to launch such an initiative.
Carol Mikola says
Well said, Brad.
Cheryl says
Brad-
It sounds like you want someone in there that will cover up what has been exposed. She did an honorable job and stood up for what is right. With Mrs Weeks gone I don’t trust our elections. Weeks did a wonderful job and will be missed.
Donna Heiss says
No one should be shocked, surprised or floored by her resignation. Isn’t politics fun? The local political powers that be have been doing their best to push her out since the first day she was elected.
Our “other” elected officials are just as dispensable. Careful, don’t get caught.
Good luck in your future plans Ms. Weeks. I wish you well.
Informed Resident says
Actually, I’m sad to see her go.
Politics is boring. At least she brought some entertainment value. I looked forward to reading about SOE drama. It always brought me a good laugh.
Laughing says
I think the WHOLE office should be replaced!
Lorene says
That is what happened when Weeks took office. She fired every experienced person there so she could give the people the people who campaigned for her a job as she had promised. Now we had an office full of people who did not know what they were doing.
Anonymous says
I truly doubt many will miss her and her attitude.
Dantel says
No doubt she’ll sue for wrongful termination even though she resigned ! a complete circus act when it came to disrupting the process of local government
Fred says
Ding Dong the witch is dead, the wicked old witch!! I will miss the drama, but none of us will miss all the money that she wasted. She’s gone and the extra lawyers she hired to try to cover her mistakes are gone.
Alan says
I hope voters remember the only reason she was elected to her position in the first place,
was her effective waving to autos prior to election at the Boulder Park / Cypress Point intersection
years ago. (SHE certainly was effective in doing THAT!)
“O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!”
BEWARE of WHO you vote for and make your vote count by doing so–Yet so few of us
even bother to vote!
Leeroy says
Oppositional defiance, that was her problem and her personality. She had problems from the first week on the job. If there wasn’t a problem she created one. The person in that position shouldn’t be in the news every week. I don’t recall these problems from the last SOE.
Concerned says
From what I can tell, Weeks had to deal with alot of people to carry out elections and only seemed to have a problem with a few. Her battles with the city and county were unnecessary in the fact they should have assisted in providing what she needed to ensure elections went smooth. Thankfully Weeks did an outstanding job and had good elections despite what hand she was dealt and the lack of support and cooperation by the county and Jim Landon. She was always honest and fair and never showed favoritism. I am going to miss her, and be concerned about the integrity of our elections. Her replacement will be manipulated by the county and some of the same that proved to do what shouldn’t be done will still be involved and may continue their practices.
Realistic says
I am glad to see her go because we don’t need anyone that naive in a position of authority. Did she really think the Tea Party and Ronald Reagan Republicans supported her because they agreed with her views?
They supported her because they wanted to encourage her intransigent and confrontational behaviour. In her self absorption she couldn’t see what their end game was. Now, they have what they wanted all along:
a Democrat out of office
a Republican governor appointing someone to finish out her term
an office they will run a Republican candidate for eventually
an the impression that Democrats can be as negative and hard to deal with as they are.
Ms. Weeks played right into their hands.
Will says
Insightful comments, @ Realistic. I hope you’ll post more often!
Concerned says
Mrs weeks stood for what was right since she took office. Maybe the republicans such as Coffey, Meeker, Ericksen and Hadeed had their own agenda and gave her a hard time because she was a Democrat.
Cheryl says
How disappointing. Weeks was the only elected official that was for the people and was a real people person. Who is going to watch out for the corruption now that shes gone? She shouldnt have put up with the attacks made by the county and City of Palm Coast as long as she did. She did a fantastic job and is wished the best. You will be missed!
NortonSmitty says
She has held this post for quite a while. And while I am very passionate about my politics and who I support, I never paid attention to her because she never let us all know on what side she stood. And as a Supervisor of Elections, that may be supposed to sound like a good thing. But she sure seemed to make a lot of enemies, many of whom are mine enemies also.
I guess this may be a cautionary tale, saying that if you want, nea, need support in your job, being afraid to let the public know where you stand will deprive you of any support when they come for you. And if you doubt the power her post held, ask the experts:
“It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” – Joseph Stalin
And here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, how is it that every vote cast in every election somehow has to be tabulated by a company called Scytel in Spain that is owned by Israelis and tells us all who won our elections. Seriously, this is our Democracy in 2015.
http://www.westernjournalism.com/spanish-company-will-count-american-votes-overseas-in-november/#cGrhkJokIfdoReR4.97
lena Marshal says
good she got alittle too big for her briches! what goes around comes around !
Move on !
Newresident1 says
I just moved here a few months ago, but have heard a LOT about the corruption of the city and county officials. Having once lived in a very corrupt county of Georgia (30+ years) and having more than a few of that county’s corrupt commissioners recalled, I am dismayed. Ms. Weeks was very informative and welcoming to us when we signed up for our voters cards. My husband and I were in Daytona the Saturday before election day and they had closed down whole streets and the ever popular Beach Street and had tents up in anticipation of early voting on Sunday. Seems Daytona and Volusia care very much about voting rights and the ability of people to be able to come out and vote in a orderly manner. Nothing like that here in Flagler, that I saw. This county seems like a newborn county, and the city is in it’s toddler stages. If corruption is going on here it needs to be rooted and stamped out. And if that means certain people, even commissioners, have to be recalled, then so be it. Hopefully the State will look at this and go farther in it’s investigations of corruption. Corruption leads to mold and stains and rust and eventually a complete breakdown. Dig out that corruption before it ruins the whole apple cart.
confidential says
Newresident1 wish you well in this county and you said it right… now the same witch hunters of our honest and dedicated SOE Mrs. Weeks will manipulate elections to their like. The GOP seating in government got their way by silencing a good Democrat SOE.
Just look at all of them in court like a gang of bandits against one of our neighbor citizen and its lawyer that fought for us not to loose in our Palm Coast Parkway and Palm Harbor demolition site our beloved tree canopy. And they use as witness one of the lawyers whose name/interest was involved in the next case of the citizens against the county!!
In this city they even have the audacity to appoint to a city code enforcement someone with a financial judgment against for attempt of fraud, recorded on Florida courts public records.