Editorial: Supervisors cling to closed-door culture

Former Supervisor Pat Loe, who opposed the proposal to lower the minimum educational requirements for the county administrative officer, addressed the basic problem. Supervisors cannot decide this behind closed doors, she said. Nonetheless, that is what happened. The public debate was nothing but a formality, and the decisions were already made all the way to appointment.
The county administrative officer is the county’s chief executive and the key position in the organization, while supervisors function as the trustees. The CAO is responsible for many millions of dollars, 400 employees, and continually changing state and federal policies and programs. It is a tough job.
Lowering the job’s educational requirements from a bachelor’s degree to merely related experience and continuing education is significant and controversial by itself; there was simply no need to muddy the waters by making the appointment of Interim CAO Ray Espinosa a fait accompli.
Now that officials have changed the qualifications on a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Robert Rivas strongly opposing, the board has an absolute obligation to reopen the recruiting process and give everyone, especially other current employees, a fair chance at the job. Failure to do so would make a bad situation even worse.
The board was simply being dishonest with the pubic when the chairman said that this decision was not the result of a failed recruitment process. No matter where they stand on the issue of a college degree, everyone knows the truth. The board could not find an acceptable candidate for the pay they were offering who met all the qualifications they had established, so they changed the qualifications.
Supervisors can do that provided they keep the process open to the public and reopen the recruitment, but there is a larger issue. Nothing is gained by failing to address the underlying problem. Supervisors could not fill this position with a top-level candidate because of the county’s poor financial condition, limited prospects and their own lack of coherent plans for the future.