SC Ethics board advances charges against former Winthrop president
The South Carolina Ethics Commission has issued a Notice of Hearing to former Winthrop University president Jamie Williamson, compelling her to account for hiring her husband to work in the president’s office.
Williamson served less than a year as Winthrop’s tenth president. Trustees suspended her on June 13, 2014 and later fired her for bullying employees, lying and abuse of authority.
In documents obtained by WRHI this week, the commission “determined that there is probable cause” to support allegations against Williamson used her office for personal gain in hiring her husband, Larry Williamson, as senior counsel for strategic initiatives.
The commission cites news reports that Williamson instructed her Chief of Staff, Kimberly Faust, “create a new temporary staff position” for her husband.
Faust was told by President Williamson to pay Larry Williamson $30,000, a sum the president characterized in an e-mail as “low enough to not attract critics.”
South Carolina’s open records law considers salaries for employees making $50,000 or more per year as public information and the state posts them on its website. Salaries for public employees making less than $50,000 are generally excluded from public disclosure.
Larry Williamson was ultimately paid $27,000 for his services, which was later returned to the university’s cashier’s office immediately after word of his hiring became public knowledge.
Williamson, through her attorney at the time, Bev Carroll, excused Dr. Williamson, writing, “Nothing about Larry’s role was a secret to anyone,” describing the hiring of President Williamson as “a 2 for 1” deal “meaning the University recognized that it could utilize [Larry’s] skills for the University’s benefit in governmental relations.”
He represented the university in Columbia, a role that “was structured in such a manner to avoid the university’s nepotism policy, which mirrors the State Ethics Act,” Carroll wrote. President Williamson was told by a board member in early 2014 of “concerns in Columbia” regarding his employment.
The complaint, filed in July 2014, was followed by a Notice of Hearing mailed to Williamson’s Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, home in February.
Winthrop University declined to comment on the commission’s investigation, citing the ongoing probe into Williamson’s short tenure.
“The Board of Trustees continues to stand by its decision to exercise its right to end the former president’s employment contract and is prepared to defend that decision in the appropriate legal forum,” Winthrop spokesman Jeff Perez said.
Multiple efforts to reach Dr. Williamson through her new attorney, Malissa Burnette, and through other parties were not returned this week.
Under the S.C. Ethics Act, complaints made to the commission remain secret until they are either dismissed or determined to have enough probable cause. In Williamson’s case, the complaint was advanced and made public.
A three-person board will likely hear the case in November, S.C. Ethics Commission Executive Director Herb Hayden said. The hearing will be in closed session where three commissioners will act as a jury, according to the commission’s website.
Should Williamson not attend the hearing or the commissioners rule against her, she may be levied an administrative fine up to $2,000.
Should the S.C. Attorney General choose to embark on a subsequent investigation, his office may impose a criminal fine of $5,000 or one year in prison.
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