How the State Election Board hired the former executive director’s wife
Members of the State Election Board fought over the hiring of the wife of the board’s former executive director as the board’s paralegal despite her having no prior legal experience, according to internal emails obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The board voted in July to hire Hope Coan despite her lack of experience.
American Oversight, a left-leaning government watchdog group, which has sued the board alleging it obstructed access to email records, received the emails earlier this month as a result of an open records request and shared them exclusively with the AJC.
The messages show that Executive Director James Mills appears to have altered the qualifications for the job before hiring Coan as an administrative assistant. The records also reveal internal disputes over hiring staff for a board that lawmakers have called dysfunctional.
“This kind of behind-the-scenes dysfunction should concern every Georgian,” said Chioma Chukwu of American Oversight.
In a June 20 email with a personnel official with the secretary of state, Mills explained that when he joined the board in June, the longest-serving staff member left to take a position with the secretary of state’s office. He said he needed a quick replacement to deal with the “tremendous demands” of the job.
Mills said he wanted to hire Coan, the wife of former Executive Director Mike Coan, with a salary of $64,000 despite an online job posting advertising the position at $58,000.
The original posting required candidates to have at least one year of experience as a legal secretary or paralegal. But it appears Mills requested to change those qualifications, according to handwritten notes obtained by American Oversight.
The note requested adding language requiring applicants to have one year of legal experience or be “willing to enroll in paralegal training.”
Later that month, Mills announced the new hire to board members.
“I hope everyone will give a warm welcome to Hope Coan as she begins her first official day on Tuesday, July 1,” he wrote in an email. “There is an abundance of work to be done and I look forward to working together as a team to reach new horizons and continue to make Ga a great state to live in.”
According to one email sent by board Chairman John Fervier, Mills selected Coan over more than 70 applicants, at least 40 of whom had paralegal experience.
In a July 1 email, Fervier said he was surprised to hear about the new hire and wrote that at least one other board member knew about the hire. Mike Coan, Hope Coan’s husband, had often disagreed with Fervier when he served as executive director.
In another email, the board’s sole Democrat, Sara Tindall Ghazal, wrote that the board must first convene in a meeting before finalizing the decision, citing Georgia code.
Under state law, the executive director can hire staff and set their pay with board approval.
Two members of the board, Janelle King and Janice Johnston, said they approved Mills to hire whoever he deemed fit to replace the former paralegal. King declined to comment for this story.
On July 2, Fervier sent an email to board members saying he strongly opposed the candidate Mills selected.
“I find it odd that certain members of this Board would be supportive of hiring an individual with no apparent legal background for a paralegal position and a person that has (a) personal vendetta against myself,” he wrote. He said he’d support a candidate who would move the board “forward, not backwards.”
Coan’s resume highlighted her experience in construction, real estate and two years as a workers’ compensation coordinator at Waffle House.
In one email, Fervier warned that the board should be concerned about accusations of nepotism.
In a text message to the AJC, Mike Coan called Fervier “morally bankrupt” and said he tried to punish him and his wife “for sharing with people his misdeeds as Chairman of the State Election Board.”
Mills said Hope Coan has demonstrated “professionalism and integrity.” He added that it seems the only person who has an issue is Fervier.
Hope Coan did not respond to a request for comment.
Emails reviewed by the AJC show tensions on the board extend beyond the hiring dispute.
One email chain July 6 shows Mills and Fervier squabbled over who should handle open records requests.
In one email, Mills accused Fervier of hindering “the majority of the board and myself in getting the much needed help we need in our office.”
In a July 8 reply, Fervier questioned what Mills does with his time.
“It would be beneficial for the Board to hear what you are doing in the 40+ hours per week for which you are paid and why you don’t have the time to respond to Open Records Requests,” he wrote.
Board meetings are often filled with infighting between board members Johnston, King and Rick Jeffares, a trio once praised by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, and Fervier, whose only support at times comes from the board’s sole Democrat.
In early July, the Trump-aligned bloc requested the board hold a meeting to give Mills the approval to hire staff. Fervier called for a meeting that was held the next day, according to a July 22 text message.
Following the internal disputes, Johnston, King and Jeffares approved Hope Coan for the position during a Zoom meeting, over the objections of Fervier and Ghazal.
“I have absolutely no knowledge or any information whatsoever about any of the candidates, so I cannot provide any support or opposition,” Ghazal said.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
