The San Benito County Board of Supervisors continued its short
but notable track record of making big changes when the supervisors
voted unanimously to replace County Counsel Karen Forcum
Tuesday.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors continued its short but notable track record of making big changes when the supervisors voted unanimously to replace County Counsel Karen Forcum Tuesday.
The board voted in closed session Tuesday against renewing Forcum’s four-year contract on Feb. 15, when her first term with the county ends. Instead, the board offered a six-month extension to her current contract while they explore other options.
“We felt that if we allowed her to go into the four-year term, that if the board wished to go into a different direction in terms of an independent contractor, or considering another appointment of county counsel… basically it wouldn’t allow us to consider other options in the future,” said Dist. 5 Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz. “It has nothing to do with being unhappy with her, it’s the ability to change direction a year or two years down the road.”
Forcum said she will stay with the county for the remainder of her six months, but all of the supervisors reached Thursday said her employment with the county will end after the extension.
Forcum replaced Steve Sanders as the county’s legal counsel in 2000 for a four-year term. In August, the old board voted to extend her contract another four years.
“It (a four-year extension) typically is a guarantee, but this is the new board’s prerogative,” Forcum said Thursday. “Basically I’m continuing as county counsel for the six-month term and the board will decide what they’d like to see for this position, and as a new board that’s their prerogative,” she said.
Since three new supervisors took their seats on the five-member board just five weeks ago, the new board of supervisors has been shaking things up, and not only by letting go of Forcum. Late last month, the new board sent the controversial Hillside Ordinance, which had been approved by the old board 3-1 less than two months before, back to the drawing board. On Feb. 1, four of the five supervisors publicly announced their opposition to a proposed Miwok casino in San Benito County, voting unanimously to draft a resolution opposing the casino to be voted on Feb. 22.
New Dist. 2 Supervisor Anthony Botelho, since being appointed to the Council of Governments, has asked the council to look at revamping the county’s public transportation system. And the board has also been discussing all 12 of the active lawsuits against the county in closed session, educating the three rookies but also trying to settle as many of the suits as efficiently and as soon as possible, they’ve said.
Now having decided to replace Forcum, the new board is continuing to forge their own path.
“I basically feel that the board wanted to act in that direction because they felt that they were somewhat saddle-bound by the previous board’s appointment. They wanted some time to look at the possibilities,” said Board Chairman Reb Monaco, who voted to renew Forcum’s contract in August. “I think under the circumstances we did it under in August, there were a lot of other circumstances and a lot of other issues and we didn’t want to deal with it at the time so we just went ahead and re-approved it.”
Monaco also said the decision to replace Forcum was not due to an attempt to cut down on outside legal costs incurred by private attorneys defending the county in its numerous lawsuits. In September, the county’s outside legal fees had hit almost $3 million since 2000.
“I don’t think that’s directly related to the decision that we made,” Monaco said. “It may be indirectly related.”
Supervisors Botelho, De La Cruz and Don Marcus said Thursday there were no hard feelings between the board and Forcum.
“She’s a fine person and a fine lawyer, and a dedicated employee, and we know that. But we decided to evaluate our options,” Botelho said. “I can only speak for myself, but personally I hope there’s a position for her somewhere in the county counsel’s office.”
Marcus added his praise in an e-mail.
“It’s important to emphasize the quality of work that Ms. Forcum has exhibited, and the high level of service which she has provided,” Marcus wrote. “It’s also important to note that she has been under county employment on an extension, which the previous board implemented. This gave the current board the ability to formulate a new contract, which carries a mandatory four year term. It was our decision to not extend the four year contract and offer a six month extension.”
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
