So...the person you’re replacing, because her numbers are in the tank, has veto authority over who you hire to replace her?
Only in America!
You realize she came to that meeting with a couple of trump cards, right? First...she’s female. Second...she’s gay. Third...there’s that Adam’s Apple.
This is the same situation in almost every company in the U.S.
Managers in particular control who they hire and will intentionally not hire anyone who could replace them. Scott Adams, who writes 'Dilbert' has entire chapters based on it.