Mayor Brown fires head of HR Department

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - On the heels of a scathing audit, the head of Buffalo's human resources department has been fired.

Karla Thomas came under scrutiny following an audit which claimed her department paid more than $2 million in health insurance premiums for more than 100 workers who were no longer living. Mayor Brown says taxpayer dollars went down the drain.

"Today I notified Commissioner Thomas that I was terminating her because my directive to take certain action to correct the division of compensation and benefits paying deceased persons and their families was not taken," said Mayor Brown.

Thomas was two years into her six-year employment contract with the city. The mayor says Thomas will act as commissioner until a required hearing later this month.