For More Information Contact:
Alana Sawchuk, Operations and Communications Director
asawchuk@dutchessny.gov / comptroller@dutchessny.gov
(845) 486-2050
Dutchess County Comptroller Dan Aymar-Blair has issued subpoenas to the Dutchess County Commissioners of Elections, Erik Haight and Lisa Jessup, as well as select employees, in order to obtain documents and conduct interviews central to an audit of the Board of Elections’ (“BOE”) election worker payroll process. The subpoenas may be the first ever issued by the Dutchess County Comptroller’s Office and reflect the unprecedented circumstance of County Commissioners refusing to cooperate with an audit. The subpoenas were issued as a last resort after the Commissioners refused to provide the requested documentation or agree to attend an entrance meeting for three months prior to this conclusion.
On April 24, 2026, Comptroller Aymar-Blair first noticed the Dutchess County BOE that their election worker payroll process would be the subject of an audit. On April 29, the BOE objected to the proposed audit plan, arguing that the Comptroller did not have the authority to conduct it.
After further attempts and rebuttals, on June 16, the Comptroller advised the BOE of their legal obligation to produce the requested documentation necessary for the Comptroller’s Office to perform the full scope of their audit, with a deadline of June 30. The Comptroller stated that further failure to comply and provide the documents by the provided date would result in a formal demand by way of a subpoena, pursuant to Dutchess County Administrative Code Article XXXII, Section 32.05.
On July 2, the Comptroller’s outside counsel, retained exclusively to help obtain the cooperation of the Commissioners, gave them five more business days (until Friday, July 10) to comply and offered to confer with the Commissioners and/or their counsel. The Commissioners thereafter retained legal counsel to represent them in this matter, and counsel for the Comptroller corresponded with the Commissioner’s counsel. Upon conferring with the Commissioner’s counsel to resolve this matter, the Commissioners maintained their refusal to comply with the Comptroller’s audit plan.
After three months, the BOE has still failed to present the Comptroller or the Comptroller’s Attorney with any applicable legal argument justifying their noncooperation, resulting in a failure to fulfill their legal obligation as an auditable entity operating with taxpayer funds. Under New York County Law Section 577, Dutchess County Administrative Code Article XX Section 20.02(a)-(e), the Comptroller has the authority to request documents related to expenditures of County funds as was requested. The assertion on the part of both Commissioners that the Comptroller is seeking operational information, and therefore exceeding the scope of the Comptroller’s authority, is belied by the above quoted legal authority and the fact that the Comptroller’s Office has performed similar audits in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2020. Accordingly, subpoenas were issued as the Commissioners advised through counsel that they would not comply.
“It is not the preference of the Comptroller’s Office to obtain audit materials under threat of subpoena,” said Comptroller Aymar-Blair. “We provided the BOE with ample time to comply and offered to adapt the plan around their busy calendar. As I have always said, we audit County departments and partners to offer recommendations for making government financial operations more efficient, a high priority for County taxpayers.”
