Renata Seals McCord works in foreclosure prevention.

She was first hired in February 2016 by then treasurer Richard Hathaway.

Current treasurer Eric Sabree made her a full-time employee.

Sabree's son, Adam, was hired by the county's top lawyer, who reports to Warren Evans.

Renata Seals McCord, the wife of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, is resigning from her job with the county treasurer's office after a TV report raised questions about her hiring.

"The mere appearance of being unethical is not acceptable to me and my standard of living," McCord said in a resignation letter submitted to Treasurer Eric Sabree. "The county has come a long way, and this type of distraction is not indicative of the patterns being set by my husband or for you for that matter."

McCord has worked for the treasurer's office since February 2016. Evans said he was dating McCord at the time when then-Treasurer Richard Hathaway hired her as a contractor earning $60,000 a year. In October, Sabree made her full time, earning $70,000.

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Sabree, who was hired Nov. 9, declined an interview request.

Evans and McCord were married Dec.17 at Triumph Church on Detroit's east side.

Evans said he didn't lobby on her behalf and he's not sure if either man knew she was dating him, though he suspects they did because "there are no secrets in Wayne County."

"She just decided it was in the best interests in the bigger picture of the county," Evans told the Free Press today. "Sometimes a responsible public servant has to remove an appearance to impropriety, even it is just an appearance."

McCord conducts community outreach to homeowners facing tax foreclosure, showing them how to access payments plans that could help them keep their homes. She said in her letter she remains committed to helping people with those issues, though not as an employee.

But questions about her qualifications — she had no previous government experience — raised in the WXYZ-TV, Channel 7 report, are a distraction, Evans said.

Claims of nepotism and favoritism have long been made in Wayne County government. Evans' predecessor, Robert Ficano, had 174 appointees at one point, many of whom were frequent contributors to his campaigns.

Evans said he had nothing to do with the hiring of Sabree's son, Adam, by the county's top lawyer, Zenna Faraj Elhasan, an Evans appointee.

"He interned here when he was in law school years ago," Evans said. "He applied through the normal process."

Adam Sabree was one of several candidates interviewed for the job, county spokesman Jim Martinez said. At least two declined the job because of the $58,000 salary, and two others were poor fits, Martinez said.

Evans said he knew who Sabree was when he was hired, but he never lobbied for him.

Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jwisely.