LaSalle County Finance Director Joyce Tucker is resigning and taking a job elsewhere. The County Board this month approved a three-year contract offer with a starting salary of $72,000. But Tucker will leave next week when County Board Chairman Jim Olson does. Olson’s leaving because Don Jensen beat him in the election.
Olson says incoming Chairman Don Jensen owes the county good financial management now. He says Jensen campaigned on it and implied that the county hired Tucker because Olson and Auditor Jody Wilkinson weren’t doing their jobs.
Jensen says he’ll oversee the finances, but it’s not a one-person job. He says Tucker did very good work for the county and he’d like to keep her part time for a one-month transition. He says she’s offered to help that way.
It’ll be up to the County Board to hire another finance director or not. Tucker’s work for the county has included updating county policies that maintain grant eligibility and helping the County Board project finances three or more years into the future.