Watchdog fights for better use of county funds

Moses Stanley, a long-time volunteer for Brunswick County, North Carolina, Superior Court Judge Ola Lewis, was recently hired as her new judicial assistant, pending a pre-employment screening, the Wilmington Star News reports. However, activist and local government watchdog Ginny Quaglia isn't pleased with the decision, contending that the move was a "waste of taxpayer money" and the result of cronyism. The news source reports in a separate article that Quaglia and colleague Pat Sykes accumulated 150 signatures on a petition arguing that the $41,880 used to pay for Stanley's transfer should've been funded by the state. Lewis countered that due to the high volume of calls her office receives, hiring Stanley was a necessity. County manager Marty Lawing added that he went through a standard hiring process. "The position was advertised, and according to Judge Lewis, multiple candidates were interviewed," said Lawing. "The judge had made a recommendation and the recommended candidate has been approved contingent upon pre-employment screening." Lawing added that county funding of state positions, while rare, isn't unprecedented in the state.