Jessica Thomas' long battle to remain Peoria County auditor after voters overwhelmingly voted to eliminate her office is over.
The Illinois Supreme Court has declined to hear her case. That means an earlier appellate court decision in the county's favor stands, and Thomas is out of a job. Spokesperson Gretchen Pearsall said her tenure as auditor ended at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31.
In June, the 4th District Appellate Court ruled that Thomas had "no ascertainable right" to remain in the auditor's job until the end of her current term in 2024, after voters decided to eliminate it.
Peoria County Administrator Scott Sorrel said the court upheld the will of the voters and respected the results of last November's referendum.
In a statement, Thomas said the outcome was not unexpected given that most petitions for leave to appeal aren't heard, but she still criticized the county for the referendum language and for spending more than $500,000 to remove her from office.
She also said her tenure ended Oct. 31, but the mandate wasn't certified until Nov. 2.
"The County rushed to relieve Auditor Thomas of her duties, effective October 31, 2023, which is illegal because the County did not receive approval to take any action until November 2, 2023. The County's incompetence may continue to cost taxpayers," she said.
Per a judge's order, the county had continued to pay Thomas a salary while the case proceeded through the courts. The county could now attempt to claw back that money.
Thomas is a member of the WCBU Community Advisory Board.
