By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Spillane

HAMILTON - A spat over salary increases has pitted Butler County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Spillane.against County Administrator Derek Conklin and the county commissioners.

In a recent letter to Spillane, Conklin criticized the judge's decision to grant $1,000 bonuses to 29 employees last year in light of the county's tight budget.

"This allocation of funds was done with the full knowledge that the county was experiencing financial difficulties," wrote Conklin, who works directly for the commissioners, "and it seems to us that this was a flagrant abuse of officeholders' authority to set wages and salaries."

Conklin also complained in his letter that Court Administrator Linda Lovelace received a $12,000 raise last year, but he said Tuesday he was mistaken about that.

His letter brought a swift, pointed response from Spillane.

She granted the $1,000 bonuses to all 29 court employees because they were absorbing the work that Paul Allen, manager of court operations, had done before resigning last September, Spillane wrote in a letter.

She decided it would be more financially prudent to pay $29,000 in bonuses and spread extra work to existing employees than to hire a replacement for Allen, who earned $52,000 a year.

"I'm furious," Spillane said Tuesday. "I find it most unusual that they are objecting to an economic decision of mine that actually saved the county money."

She called Conklin's letter "hostile and accusatory."

Spillane, in turn, criticized the county commissioners for giving Conklin a 11.4 percent salary increase last year and raises from 15.3 percent to 6.5 percent to four other employees.

"The arrogance and the hypocrisy of this commission is breath-taking," Spillane said. "While some county offices are preparing for layoffs in order to meet budget cuts, they prepared by awarding their staff with huge raises."

Conklin and Commissioner Mike Fox said the salary increases Spillane refers to occurred over two years, not one year.

Conklin added that the commissioners' office has two fewer full-time positions and one fewer part-time position than a year ago.

The dispute over pay raises has its roots in a conflict between the commissioners and domestic relations court earlier this year over concerns that a psychologist whose license was revoked by the state may have given false testimony in certain child-custody and visitation cases.

The commissioners asked domestic relations court to review cases in which the psychologist testified and urged the court to crack down on perjury.

In response, Domestic Relations Court Judge Sharon Kennedy defended the court at a commissioners' meeting and presented them with boxes of copies of court records. She also handed them a $1,600 bill for the copies.

The commissioners agreed to pay, but, for legal reasons, needed a letter from Spillane, the administrative judge of domestic relations court, in order to pay it.

Conklin began his letter to Spillane by asking her to write that letter, but said the commissioners were paying the bill "with some reluctance" after learning about the salary bonuses.

"I am amazed by Judge Spillane's characterization of my letter as hostile and accusatory when all my letter did was ask questions," he said. "My letter was not hostile. Believe me, I can write hostile letters when I want to, and that was not a hostile letter."

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com