FAYETTEVILLE -- Four Washington County employees have been fired as a new county judge prepares to take office.
Veterans Service Officer Wayne Haines said he received a letter Thursday telling him he will no longer be employed by the county after the end of the year. Haines was hired in 2005.
He is the fourth county employee who hasn't been retained by County Judge-elect Joseph Wood.
The others fired Thursday afternoon are Planning Director Juliet Richey, County Attorney Steve Zega and Renee Biby, grants administrator and public utilities coordinator.
Wood, a Republican, will replace Marilyn Edwards, a Democrat, who didn't run for re-election and was defeated in a bid for a Quorum Court seat this year. Wood is to be sworn into office Jan. 3.
Employees not retained by Wood will cease to be employed at the county after Dec. 31 according to county policy.
Wood said in a message Thursday that he didn't want to comment and called the terminations "personnel matters."
Haines, an Army veteran who was drafted in 1969 and retired in 2000, said he was given his dismissal letter about 2:30 p.m. Thursday and was told Wood wanted to take the office in a "different direction."
County veterans offices are state-supervised and can get financial aid to offset costs, according to Arkansas law.
Washington County's office aims to help veterans file claims and other documents and find services, according to the county website. Haines said he didn't know how Wood wanted to change the office.
Metro on 12/28/2016