GENEVA – Three months removed from a campaign in which he criticized his predecessors for politically-motivated hiring practices, County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen has come under criticism for promoting the hiring of a political supporter for a job in the county’s animal control department.

For years, the County Board has struggled to find the right candidate to take leadership in the animal control department because three successive selections for animal control director have either resigned or been replaced.

But Lauzen said the lack of leadership now costs the county money because a lack of billing management caused the department to miss an annual mortgage payment last year, forcing the county to find $186,000 this year to pay both years’ payments.