Supervisors Differ on Type of Person Needed for Interim Administrator Job

Three days after they crafted a plan to fill the post of chief administrator and get the county’s finances back on track, county supervisors already are disagreeing over what kind of candidate they want.

Supervisor John Flynn said Friday he will recommend his colleagues immediately drop their outside search for a short-term administrator whose job would be to make potentially difficult cuts to get the county out of its current financial bind.

“I’ve reconsidered,” Flynn said. “We don’t need a hatchet man. We have some very outstanding people inside and we shouldn’t have to go outside for anybody.”

If Flynn’s suggestion were to gain support, it would be an about-face from the strategy agreed upon in an emergency closed session Tuesday, when officials were scrambling in the wake of county administrator David L. Baker’s resignation after only four days on the job.

But Supervisor Frank Schillo said it is “absolutely essential” to bring in an outsider who is not afraid to make quick and painful decisions.

“We need somebody to get the downhill slope changed, to take strong action and get us turned around right now,” he said.

Supervisor Kathy Long said she agreed with Schillo. Supervisors Susan Lacey and Judy Mikels could not be reached for comment.

Among the possible candidates for a job that would likely last only a year are six retired chief administrators from throughout California who have been recommended by the California Assn. of Counties.

Long, who received the recommendations from the group’s executive director, Steve Szalay, said she would not name any of the candidates until she could call them to determine whether they were interested. Szalay did not return telephone calls Friday.

Meanwhile, Flynn said when the Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday, he will recommend filling the post of chief administrative officer with an internal candidate such as General Services Agency manager John Johnston; acting Chief Administrative Officer Bert Bigler; Human Resources Agency Director Barbara Journet; Solid Waste Department Director Kay Martin; or Chief Deputy Administrative Officer Marty Robinson. All are employees who were considered at an earlier time for the post.

However, Schillo said, “it would be too difficult” for an internal candidate who has built relationships with employees and supervisors to make some decisions. He said an internal candidate might feel compelled to quit after implementing tough budgetary changes.

In his resignation letter, Baker said the county’s financial situation was far worse than had been publicly disclosed. It was revealed this week that the county is facing a $5-million deficit this fiscal year and is experiencing serious cash-flow problems that are making payrolls hard to meet.

At a private meeting following Baker’s resignation, supervisors decided to begin looking for a short-term administrator--perhaps a retired county administrator from outside the area or a financial executive. This person could take the reins for a year and make the necessary budget cuts.

That option mirrors the course Orange County took when it brought in William J. Popejoy, a millionaire and retired businessman who volunteered his services for free, to lead the county out of its 1994 bankruptcy.

Popejoy acted decisively, cutting more than 1,000 county jobs and slashing the county budget, and was credited with making strides early on to get the county on its feet again. He quit after five months, however, when he came under fire by supervisors who felt they had given him too much power, and by voters who rejected the sales-tax hike that was key to his recovery plan.