Walton County’s attorney said Walton County Commissioners are not eligible for reimbursement from the county for educational expenses or tuition. It’s an awkward revelation for Walton Commissioner Danny Glidewell. He used the program to earn an advanced degree and faces the voters in a primary election on August 18.
County Attorney Adkinson would tell the commissioners and the crowd that commissioners are not, in his legal opinion, eligible – and they should not be able to use it.
How did this happen?
During Public Comment at the last Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting in Walton County on July 28, resident and local politico Suzanne Harris continued a discussion that had begun at previous BCC meetings regarding tuition reimbursement for elected officials.
Harris, who has been politically active in local politics over the last decade and has become a fierce critic of Danny Glidewell, demanded an answer from Walton County Attorney Clay Adkinson on the County policy regarding elected officials receiving, or being eligible for, financial support from the county to pay for school tuition. Though she did not mention Glidewell by name – another critic of Glidewell’s, former Deputy Walton County Administrator Joe Turner, didn’t mind name-checking the commissioner. Turner, who was fired, arrested and charged with a felony related to Glidewell’s county-issued iPad in 2025, brought the receipts on his website – exposewalton.com.
Glidewell is the only current or former county commissioner to have applied for and received tuition reimbursement from Walton County, according to county records. He graduated from Troy University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. In total, Walton County taxpayers covered $11,394.30 for the education, which covered tuition – not books or other fees.
Glidewell faces a re-election contest against challenger Warren Whitaker on August 18. You can learn more about the candidates and their positions with our Elections page here:
Are county commissioners elected officials, county employees or both?
Harris questioned County Attorney Adkinson directly about the program and the exact disposition of County Commissioners. “Many years ago I asked you if a Board Member was an employee or not,” Harris told Adkinson, who’s been the County Attorney or Interim County Attorney for half a decade.
Adkinson then told her commissioners are not employees of the County – and are therefore not eligible for the benefit. “Are you asking whether a county commissioner can enroll to have their tuition reimbursed today? If so, the answer is, in my opinion, no, and I would advise against it,” Adkinson said.
Some of the payments to Glidewell took place while Adkinson served as interim county attorney for nearly half a decade.
What are the rules regarding tuition reimbursement?
Walton County has a policy (6.4 – Tuition Reimbursement) in place to guide those seeking tuition assistance through the County. The text states, “This policy identifies the criteria that must be met for an employee to qualify for tuition reimbursement for work-related educational classes.” The manual adds, “This policy applies to all permanent employees of the Walton County BCC who have been employed for at least 1 year, successfully completed their training period; [and] met performance standards for the past six months.” Regarding eligibility, the guidelines require that the employee obtain approval from a department director, where the HR Department, CFO, and Director of Administration determine whether the course(s) meet the criteria.
In short, qualified employees can use the tuition reimbursement program if a department director signs off on it. Commissioners can’t.
Multiple reimbursements for Glidewell?
In fiscal year 2020, during August, the records for payment distribution indicate that two payments (August 2020) of $1482.00 each were remitted to Commissioner Glidewell for courses he had taken.
Walton County policy requires that “The employee must submit to the HR Department proof of payment and proof of final grade within (30) days of course completion to update the previously submitted Tuition Reimbursement Request to request payment.”
Two payments would violate that policy.
Glidewell responds to criticism on social media
Mid Bay News reached out to Commissioner Glidewell’s office for comment and did not successfully reach him.
In a social media post by “Friends of Danny Glidewell,” Glidewell or his supporters posted screenshots of Turner’s social media post to Facebook about his tuition reimbursement and wrote, “I followed the advice of the Administrator, County Attorney and Human Resources Director to get education [sic] that helped me be a better commissioner. I never took money from any other employee and will never use that education except to serve the people of Walton County,” He continued. “I hope the voters of Walton County see this for what it is and reject this kind of mudslinging that these people have engaged in this entire election cycle.”
