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Orange County leaders are cutting off funding for outgoing Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean amid ongoing questions about his spending.
WESH 2 Investigates learned Tuesday afternoon that the CFO for the elections office is one of three employees who lost their jobs last week.
Mayor Jerry Demings said Gilzean is not cooperating with the county’s attempt to audit his recent spending. And until he provides the requested bank records, the county is freezing the funding for the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Gilzean defended his spending of millions of taxpayer dollars that county leaders accused of being inappropriate.
It all centers around scholarships for Valencia College that the supervisor set up for students at two Orlando high schools.
While the mayor said the leftover election funds used to create those scholarships should have been returned to the county, Gilzean said the program will get the county ready for future elections.
> RELATED: Orange County mayor questions use of taxpayer money in new elections supervisor scholarship fund
Gilzean addressed the public in a press conference on Tuesday morning, saying that his plan includes more than just scholarships. He defended his actions by emphasizing that if you get rid of any part of the plan, you have to get rid of all of it.
While Demings and other county lawyers say it wasn’t appropriate for Gilzean to spend money on things not related to the election, Gilzean emphasized Tuesday that the contract for the scholarships would also open up six sites at Valencia College to be used for early voting.
According to Gilzean, if the scholarship goes away, so do those sites.
“I hope the incoming supervisor of elections will continue to keep the scholarships. One thing is certain. The next supervisor will need to expand early voting sites, and this contract sets the stage for success,” Gilzean said.
Valencia College has offered to give the money back if the county asks for it. A spokesman for the supervisor’s office said he believed this would invalidate the contract.
Gilzean also justified sending money to nonprofit groups to help increase voter turnout and vote-by-mail. He left the news conference without answering any questions.
> RELATED: Controversy over taxpayer-funded scholarship could result in restraining order, Orange County mayor says
Gilzean left Tuesday’s news conference without taking any questions.
Incoming supervisor Karen Castor Dentel says when she takes office next month, she will review the staffing needs.
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