Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner lashed out against the county board Tuesday after it scheduled a special meeting to appoint a permanent county executive following the death of L. Brooks Patterson.

Without naming names, Meisner warned in a news release against the board “going around the law that makes it a crime for Commissioners to receive appointments and giving one of their own a $150,000 pay raise in the process.”

Meisner is likely referring to board Chairman Dave Woodward, a fellow Democrat, who has made it no secret that he wants the county executive’s job. Both he and Meisner had announced before Patterson's cancer diagnosis that they would run for county executive in 2020.

County commission annual salaries are $36,130, while the board chairman is paid $43,356 annually and the county executive salary is $201,193.

Neither Meisner nor Woodward could immediately be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

“Voters, not politicians should choose our elected leaders,” Meisner said in the release. “If the commission must appoint, it should use an open and transparent process that allows for the voice of the people to be heard. Openness and transparency will be hallmarks of my administration as executive.”

Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald Poisson immediately replaced Patterson on an interim basis with a Saturday swearing-in. Patterson, a Republican, died Saturday after battling pancreatic cancer.

On Tuesday. the board released a statement that it would hold a meeting Thursday night and "may consider a resolution for the purpose of appointing" a new executive, who will serve until Patterson's term ends in December 2020.

The appointment is one of the Board of Commissioners' two options in the wake of Patterson's death; it can pick a successor within 30 days, or the issue will go to a special election, with a primary during the March 10, 2020, presidential primary and a general election in May.

While Woodward is currently on the Board of Commissioners, he would have to resign from his elected post to be considered for executive. If he resigns, Democrats will lose their majority position on the board, which will be split between 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. But with Commissioner Michael Spisz, an Oxford Republican, out of town on business and not expected back for the meeting, Democrats would have a 10-9 majority for the appointment vote.

Woodward called the Thursday meeting, according to the board's statement.

According to sources close to the board, Woodward has lined up the votes to get the appointment.

Commissioner Eileen Kowall, R-White Lake, said she would prefer a special election for Patterson's replacement, or at least wait until after his funeral next week.

"It just seems like there's such a rush," she said. "But I believe we're going to name a replacement on Thursday and I think Dave Woodward has the votes to get it."

County Commissioner Helaine Zack, D-Huntington Woods, said the board has one job: getting a budget done by Sept. 30.

"Whatever change is out there, I don’t want to impact passing the budget on time," said Zack, the chairwoman of the finance committee,which handles the budget. "Why wait three weeks. Brooks cared about the county tremendously and would want the county to move forward positively and I would hope that we would do that respectfully."

Likewise, Oakland County Democratic Party Chairman Vaughn Derderian said it's important to name a county executive quickly so that a new budget can be fully considered and finalized by the board before the fiscal year begins.

"Setting aside all the political theater, the actual governance of the county when you look at that as your focus, there’s a hard deadline coming up," he said.

But in his Tuesday statement, Meisner called for transparency on the board's part, asking "what's the hurry?" in immediately making an appointment.

More: Long term replacement for L. Brooks Patterson is politically complicated

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While none have announced interest in the position, possible Republican picks for executive could include Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Rochester Mayor Bryan Barnett, former Rep. Mike McCready of Birmingham, former Sen. Mike Kowall of White Lake and U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop of Rochester. McCready and Kowall served in Patterson's administration after leaving office in 2018.

The Thursday meeting is at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners' Auditorium at 1200 North Telegraph Road, Pontiac. The board will also have to look at how to replace Woodward's spot on the board, if he is appointed county executive. The commission could appoint a replacement or wait to hold a special election next year.

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