The Hubbard County auditor-treasurer suddenly resigned earlier this month.
Kay Rave, 60, submitted her resignation after nearly 10 years on the job. It’s the latest blow to Hubbard County: In the span of two months, County Attorney Jonathan Frieden, 43, died of cancer, a felony case gaining national attention was lodged against an election judge and now Rave resigned in the face of potential termination.
A copy of her one-sentence resignation letter was provided to the Minnesota Star Tribune by County Administrator Jeff Cadwell. It was dated Dec. 11 and effective Dec. 27.
The same day Rave submitted her resignation, she was hand-delivered a letter from Cadwell letting her know that her employment would be terminated if she did not resign. Cadwell in the termination letter — which is confidential and he inadvertently emailed to the Star Tribune — wrote that there was a “pattern of mistakes, errors, and failures” regarding the deliverance of tax statements.
There is little to no documentation of Rave’s abrupt exodus in county meeting minutes or agenda items. At a County Board meeting Dec. 17, Cadwell asked commissioners to appoint him as interim auditor-treasurer. The board approved Cadwell’s appointment for 90 days.
A job posting for the auditor-treasurer position is not yet listed on the county’s website.
Cadwell said at the meeting that the county may consider potential organizational changes that could involve separate positions for an auditor and a treasurer.
Commissioner Tom Krueger said that 60 of the 87 counties in Minnesota use an auditor-treasurer model.
