CHARLESTON, S.C. - The executive director of the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission who didn't oppose plans to fold her agency into state Insurance Department is out of a job in an apparent forced resignation.

"All I can say is that this wasn't my decision," Alicia Clawson told The Post and Courier. Friday was her last day at the agency she ran for five years.

"We wish her the very best," said commission chairman Alan Bass. "I thought she served the commission well."

The seven commissioners have the power to hire and fire executive directors. A Veterans Day public meeting shifted to a closed-door executive session, usually used to discuss legal and personnel matters. Clawson resigned the $99,399 job the next day.

Bass said he could not comment on what happened. He says no decision has been made yet on a replacement.

Clawson's responsibilities included writing budget requests, supervising staff and keeping commissioners current on legislative matters.

Commissioners are, for the most part, autonomous, and she had little, if any, influence over commissioners and the decisions they made. Appointed by the governor, commissioners decide how much money will be paid to injured workers in contested workers' compensation cases.

Clawson's departure comes after three appointees from Gov. Mark Sanford took seats on the board. David Huffstetler, who also served as a commissioner in the 1990s, was appointed in September; G. Bryan Lyndon and Susan Barden joined the board in July.

In the past, businesses and legislators have criticized commissioners for being too slow or arbitrary in their decisions. Complaints prompted legislation that would have folded the agency into the Insurance Department.

Clawson, who worked for the Insurance Department for five years, responded to that notion by saying she was open to the possibility.

She said Thursday that response may have gotten her into some hot water with those in her agency who opposed consolidation. Her Insurance Department ties may have led some of her workers' compensation colleagues to believe she didn't have their best interests at heart, she said.

Former commissioner Sherry Martschink Spence was on the board that hired Clawson in 1999. She hinted that Clawson's shortcomings may have been more about her interpersonal and communication skills.

Under Clawson's predecessor, Mike LeFever, things went smoothly, Spence said. "He was easy to work with rather than ruffling feathers," she said.

"Alicia's strong suit was her ability to bring in a computer system and update it to the point that she could with the budget we had. If she had more budget, she could have done more," she said.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.charleston.net/