On her next to last day as acting County Administrative Officer,
Susan Lyons received high praise from county supervisors Tuesday
for the work she did during the more than six months that she
filled the county’s top administrative post.
Hollister – On her next to last day as acting County Administrative Officer, Susan Lyons received high praise from county supervisors Tuesday for the work she did during the more than six months that she filled the county’s top administrative post.
“You did an outstanding job, taking us through some tough times.” Supervisor Reb Monaco said to Lyons on Tuesday. “You demonstrated tenacity and strength. You’ve done an outstanding job, Susan, and I commend you.”
Supervisors voted to appoint Lyons as acting CAO in January after her predecessor, Gil Solorio, resigned from the post he’d held three years. Solorio left in January, 2004, then returned last September in an interim capacity until Lyons took the job.
Supervisors approached Lyons, who had been working for the county since April as a management analyst, and asked her if she was interested in the position.
“It was a huge challenge,” she said. “I’m always up to a challenge.”
Lyons, who has worked in county government for 15 years, said she took the acting CAO position to keep San Benito County’s government running smoothly.
“It was smooth. The employees had the opportunity not to go through a bumpy transition,” she said.
Throughout her months as acting CAO, Lyons said she faced several challenges, especially the county’s bleak financial situation. But her chief preoccupation was forcing the reorganization of the county’s planning department through the firing of long-time Planning director Rob Mendiola, she said.
“It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my career, but I thought it was the best thing for the county,” Lyons said, adding that even before she became acting CAO she had heard complaints from people who said they had difficulty working with the planning department.
“She took a lot of flack in the press about some of that,” Monaco said. “But she proved she was very capable.”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho said he was impressed with the job Lyons did as acting CAO.
“She took over at a very tough period of time,” he said.
In May, supervisors hired Fresno county administrator Susan Thompson to be San Benito’s permanent CAO. Thompson starts tomorrow.
Most recently deputy director of behavioral health for Fresno County, Thompson beat out 40 other candidates for the CAO position. Lyons was never a candidate for the permanent CAO job, according to Botelho.
The challenges Thompson will face as CAO include land use issues, development, jobs and the economy, Lyons said.
“She’s got a difficult budget. I balanced the budget on reserves, and she’s going to have to work within that budget,” she said.
Lyons will continue working for San Benito as a management analyst.
