Saying he needed to focus on family matters, Joe Kuensting, through his lawyer, announced he would not seek re-election as Cole County public administrator.
Attorney Scott Evans released a statement late Friday afternoon saying, "Mr. Kuensting is dedicated to continuing to serve the community through 2020 and looks forward to a smooth transition to his predecessor following the November election."
Kuensting was elected to office in 2016 as a Republican.
In December, Ralph Jobe announced he planned to run as a Republican for the office.
Filing for countywide offices begins Tuesday.
The public administrator is a publicly elected officer who is the guardian of last resort for those who cannot take care of themselves and have no one else to watch out for their needs and interests.
In April, a former employee sued Kuensting for wrongful termination from her job. Rebekah Schollmeyer claimed she was dismissed from her job as an administrative assistant Nov. 13, 2018.
Schollmeyer, through attorney Rod Chapel, also alleged in her suit Kuensting was derelict in discharging his duties in a number of ways, including:
Failure to make the minimum one visit per year to at least 28 of his wards, placing them at risk for abuse or neglect.
Submitting false or incorrectly prepared statements to the probate section of the Cole County Circuit Court.
Allowing employees to claim unworked time as though they had worked.
Mismanaging an office "in chaos" where work piled up instead of getting done in a timely manner, resulting in waste of taxpayer money.
During a hearing before Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce on Feb. 3, Angela Archer, business office manager for Jefferson City Nursing and Rehab, testified about a resident/client who had Kuensting as a guardian. Archer said the client was on Medicaid but then was taken off of it because she made too much money. She reportedly went without Medicaid for three months.
Kuensting took the stand, testifying nothing was out of the ordinary in the case. He added he doesn't control Medicaid's decisions, and his office plans to continue paying down the bill to JC Nursing and Rehab.
Joyce said more testimony is scheduled in April.
News Tribune reporter Phillip Sitter contributed to this story.