Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly resigned Wednesday to “focus on her personal health” after two years of cancer treatment.
“I have been facing serious health issues that have made it difficult for me to serve,” Kelly wrote in his resignation letter to the county commission on Wednesday. “Therefore, I am resigning as county auditor.”
Kelly's resignation was effective immediately at 9 a.m. Wednesday. He recommended that commissioners appoint Chief Deputy Auditor Amy Humphrey as interim auditor.
“Resigning from my role as auditor is a difficult decision, but a necessary one in order to focus on my personal health,” Kelly wrote.
Kelly, 40, of Sycamore Township, was elected auditor in 2022 and assumed office March 13, 2023. She served as a state representative from 2016 to 2023 and was actively involved in local Democratic Party activities.
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The formal announcement of his resignation will be made at the Hamilton County Commission meeting Thursday at 1 p.m.
Kelly told the Enquirer last October that she was being treated for esophageal cancer, but she had no predisposition to it. She was diagnosed with the disease in April 2022 during her comptroller campaign, she said.
Kelly told the Enquirer that she had to advocate for herself even to receive a cancer diagnosis, something she knows is common for women. She was suffering from lower back pain, which was initially thought to be caused by running too much or too much. But she knew it was more than that, and she continued to seek answers until she received a proper diagnosis.
Kelly was born and raised in Norwood and attended St. Ursula Academy. She attended Xavier University, and then she went on to the University of Cincinnati, where she earned her master's degree.
She organized the Food and Commercial Workers Union for more than a decade.
Kelly ran for state representative in 2016 and was elected to replace Hamilton County Commissioner Dennis Driehaus, who was unable to run again due to term limits. Dreihaus ran for commissioner instead.
Kelly then replaced longtime auditor Dusty Rhodes, who will not run again in 2022.
Kelly came to the auditor's office during the county's six-year property appraisal process, one of the busiest times in the auditor's office. While he's concerned about the increased property tax rate for many homeowners, Kelly has been on the front lines answering questions from disgruntled residents.
