Cuyahoga County Chief Talent Officer Douglas Dykes Resigns from Dumpster Fire

Sources in Cuyahoga County government have alerted Scene that Douglas Dykes, the county's chief talent officer who was indicted on theft in office charges last year, has submitted his resignation.

(Cleveland.com has reported that Dykes resigned Monday, before a planned meeting with county leaders.)

The county confirmed the resignation in a brief statement. "Douglas Dykes, the county’s Chief Human Resource Officer, submitted his resignation, effective today, to Chief of Staff Bill Mason," the statement read. "Mr. Mason accepted his resignation. Holly Woods will be appointed interim until a permanent appointment can be made."

The resignation comes only days after Cleveland.com reported that Dykes personally repaid roughly $10,000 to the county via cashier’s check on Jan. 14, money that was owed from an IT hire to whom Dykes gave an illegal $15,000 "signing bonus" after he was told that he couldn't use money designated for moving expenses for that purpose. The signing bonus is the root cause of Dykes' current theft in office criminal trial, one that Clevleand.com editor Chris Quinn has repeatedly denounced.

The IT hire, Jim Hay, was repaying the county in monthly installments. "Dykes’ payment [of the remaining balance] in the middle of his criminal case could open the door for prosecutors to argue at trial that it was proof that Dykes had a guilty conscience," Cleveland.com reported.

Dykes joins a slew of other county officials who have resigned or been terminated under Executive Armond Budish. Dykes was accused, most recently, of being present at the termination of Budget Director Maggie Keenan, whose lawyer claims that she was fired in a retaliatory move. Keenan was to be a key witness in the Dykes case. It was well-known in the county building, prosecutors said, that Keenan believed Dykes had broken the law.

Current employees working in the fiscal department are suspicious of the story line. "No one really buys the cashiers check BS story," one told Scene. 


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