By Traci Chapman
Published on May 22, 2008

Commissioner Don Young asked Teresa Ramsey to resign Friday, after learning she intended to enter the District 2 County Commissioner race.

Ramsey announced her candidacy last week. She said she has been a Canadian County employee for 22 years and has worked for nine commissioners. The conversation with Young Friday “blew me away,” she said.

“Don called me into his office and told me to shut the door,” she said. “He said, ‘I think you should resign,’ and I asked him why — he said I was disloyal to run for the office because I work for him.”

Young confirmed the conversation Tuesday. He said he believed Ramsey should resign because she has shown a “lack of loyalty” to him as her boss.

“She should have asked me about it before she announced,” he said. “I don’t think a county employee should be allowed to run against her boss.”

Young has refused to confirm if he is planning to seek re-election. On Tuesday, he said, “I haven’t made up my mind.”

Young said it doesn’t matter if he runs or not — Ramsey should not run unless she leaves her employment with the county.

“Anybody who is going to run for a political office should resign,” he said.

When asked about current county employees running for court clerk and county clerk, Young said those cases were different “because their bosses are retiring.”
Ramsey said Young didn’t just ask her for her resignation — he told her he would fire her or any of his shop employees who ran for county office, if it was in his power to do so.

“He told me, ‘I’d fire you right now, and if one of the guys in my yard ran, I would fire them on the spot,’” she said.

Ramsey ran against Young in 2004. He retained the seat, but Ramsey lost by only 48 votes in a runoff election. Young said he was “upset” about her run in 2004. This year, although he said he has not decided to run, he said he believed Ramsey’s choice not to get his “blessing” before she announced her candidacy was cause for firing.

“I can’t fire her because I know the other two commissioners wouldn’t go for it,” he said Tuesday. “If I could — well, I don’t know what I’d do. I know what she is doing is wrong.”

Ramsey said her employment with the commissioners’ office is precisely what makes her a viable candidate for the job.

“I’ve worked well with all of the commissioners over the years, and I intend to continue doing the best job I can, working with Don, through the election,” she said. “If I win, that’s great. If I don’t, I will work with whoever gets the position, and I believe we’ll have the same quality working relationship I’ve had with the other nine commissioners I have worked for.”