"All I can say is that this wasn't my decision," Alicia Clawson said Thursday.

Today is Clawson's last day. She declined to delve into any details about what led to her resignation after five years at the beleaguered state agency.

Clawson reported to a governor-appointed board of seven commissioners that collectively have the power to hire and fire executive directors. Her resignation came a day after a board meeting on Veterans Day. The public meeting shifted to a closed-door, executive session, typically called to discuss personnel or legal matters.

"We wish her the very best," said Alan Bass, a workers' compensation commissioner and chairman of the board. "I thought she served the commission well."

Bass said he could not comment further. He said no decision has been made yet on who will replace Clawson. The position paid an annual salary of $99,399.

The commission, which oversees, adjudicates and awards dollar payouts in contested workers' compensation disputes between employers and employees, has been criticized in recent years by lawmakers and business groups who say it's not doing a good job.

Those criticisms range from cases taking too long to be heard, to commissioners being arbitrary with their rulings and lacking accountability for their actions.

An outcry for reform led to failed legislation earlier this year seeking to fold the commission into the Department of Insurance. Clawson responded to that notion by saying she was open to the possibility.

Her response, she said Thursday, may have gotten her into some hot water with those in her agency who opposed consolidation.

The fact that Clawson spent five years at the insurance department before going to the commis- sion may have led some of her workers' compensation colleagues to believe she didn't have their best interests front and center, she said.

While big business has been behind the push to overhaul the commission, Clawson's departure won't quell the calls for change.

"We enjoyed working with her and found her very accommodating and helpful," said Julie Horton, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. "This does not change the fact that we feel there is a need to reform the system itself ... and we intend to go back again this year and push for change just like we did last year and the year before that."

Like the chamber, most professionals familiar with the commission do not appear to wholly blame Clawson for its problems. Steep budget cuts over the past four years felt across the entire public sector have cut or frozen close to a third of the commission's positions and slashed its budget by 35 percent.

Also, as executive director, Clawson had little, if any, influence over commissioners and the decisions they made. Her duties included writing up budget requests, supervising staff and keeping commissioners current on legislative matters, to name a few. Commissioners are, for the most part, autonomous, and answer to some extent to Chairman Bass.

A former commissioner who was on the board that hired Clawson in 1999 hinted that her shortcomings may have been more about her interpersonal and communication skills.

Sherry Martschink Spence, who stepped down in June after 11 years on the commission, compared Clawson with the previous executive director she worked with, Michael LeFever.

"Things went very smoothly under Mike LeFever. He was easy to work with rather than ruffling feathers," Spence 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."

Clawson's resignation follows the recent appointment of new commissioners to the board. Commissioners generally serve six-year terms, and three of the current commissioners were chosen by Gov. Mark Sanford and confirmed by the state Senate.

David Huffstetler, who also served as a commissioner in the 1990s, was appointed in September, and G. Bryan Lyndon and Susan Barden both joined the board in July.

An attorney by training, Clawson said she may look for a job in the legal field but will take some time to weigh her options.

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