Tuesday morning, Pinal County Elections Director Geraldine Roll notified her boss she was quitting. It came less than one week after she promised to speak with the county’s board of supervisors about what she knew of highly-profile problems with the 2022 election cycle.
Roll resigned in a manner that is typically frowned upon, as she failed to provide a two-week notice. She also forgot that employees are generally advised to avoid finger-pointing, especially when the finger is pointed at the boss.
“With no regrets, I quit,” is how Roll opened her email resignation notice to County Manager Leo Lew. “When you no longer respect those you work for, it is time to leave,” she wrote. “I have watched as you idly stood by when I was attacked. I cannot work for an individual who does not support me.”
Roll is a former Pinal County deputy county attorney who was tapped last December to restore order and public confidence following horrendously administered elections last August and November under prior election directors.
Her hiring was cheered by the five members of the board of supervisors, but the honeymoon phase apparently quickly faded, according to her resignation notice. In fact, Roll alleges a “toxic” work environment had been fostered by Leo, his team, and the supervisors.
“In my career, I have never been subject to the ridicule, disrespect, intimidation and attacks on my reputation and ethics that I have endured in these past months,” she wrote.
Roll also took aim at Lew and unspecified supervisors for what she considered political pandering.
“I believe the Elections Department should not be politicized,” Roll wrote. “You relegate impartiality, common sense and dedicated work to irrational, extremist political party views and rhetoric.”
Roll also raised doubts of whether Pinal County can ensure the integrity of future elections.
“It is a far reach to see how you will deliver clean elections when you bend to a faction of the Republican party,” she noted. “Clearly, politics are the value this administration desires in a place where politics have no place: elections administration.”
Roll ended her notice unceremoniously, writing “Really, Not Respectfully, Geraldine Roll.”
For his part, Lew took the high road in his public comments about Roll’s departure, which were posted to Twitter a few hours after the resignation email.
“I want to thank Geri for her service during very challenging times and for the improvements that she identified and began to implement in the Elections Department,” Lew’s statement reads. “ Although I disagree with her assessment, she has been an impactful public servant, and I wish her the best and know that she will continue to do great things in her career.”
On June 21, Roll addressed the board of supervisors in detail about various Elections Department matters, including operations, training, and preparations for upcoming elections.
If she was reaching her breaking point then it is difficult to judge from the official video of the meeting.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh compared Pinal County’s well-publicized elections problems to the crashing of an airplane.
“In the media not long ago, our Communications Department said that we’re ‘looking forward and not looking back,’” Cavanaugh said. “When a plane crashes -and we’ve crashed a couple of elections- the NTSB starts from the point of crash and works their way backwards to examine absolutely every little thing.”
Cavanaugh has repeatedly expressed frustration with the lack of openness by some county officials about what went wrong during the August 2022 primary election and again in the November 2022 General Election.