As of February 5th, Mono County government will have lost three top management people. The Finance Director recently relocated, the County Administrator will go to a job in Sutter County and Director of Facilities and Risk Management, Rita Sherman, will retire.
Mono Supervisors will interview applicants for Finance Director in February, and they thought they would hire an Interim CAO this week, but learned at their meeting Tuesday that the applicant changed his mind.
County Counsel Marshall Rudolph had prepared an employment agreement for Marlin Koester, retired Ventura County Administrator, which laid out terms of employment as Interim CAO and would have paid him over $81,000 for a four-month term. The Supervisors were set to vote on a resolution approving that agreement. Then, they learned Koester was out. Mr. Koester notified the County that for personal reasons he had decided not to accept the position.
Now, the Board will hold a special closed session meeting next Tuesday to discuss this situation further. With fewer than ten days before Arkens’ departure, board members are pressed to come up with an answer for management leadership. They had only learned two weeks ago that Arkens would take the job as CAO in Sutter County when news reports were published in that area.
In addition to the departures of Arkens and Finance Director Brian Muir, Director of Facilities and Risk Management, Rita Sherman, announced she would retire. CAO Arkens confirmed that Sherman would retire on February 5th.
As for the Interim CAO position, Supervisor Chair Byng Hunt said, “Our strategy is to begin by appointing an as yet undetermined current employee to act very short term as an interim-interim while we contact a pool of retired CAO talent and hire an interim person to help us in the final search for a final appointment.”
Contacted about the lack of an Interim CAO, Supervisor Tim Alpers also said that the Board would look in-house for someone to fill in for a couple of weeks while the Board looks for another Interim CAO. He said the process to hire a new permanent CAO could take two or three months.
Asked if the Board would still assign numerous tasks to the new County Administrator, Supervisor Larry Johnston said, “We’re a small County and the trend is for government people to cover more than one function.” He said the Board would examine its options.
Supervisor Chair Hunt also said that he thinks the results of the whole process “will, in the end, be very beneficial to our County.”
Mono County is better off now that Arkens is gone (and Muir for that matter). Any CAO will be better than this clown. After eviscerating the County, he knew the Board of Supes were going to hand him his head, that’s why he bailed out early.
Obviously, he can’t be too much of a clown he’s heading to a new job that pays much better than Mono County. If I read the papers right he also balanced the budget and made the employees work for their pay.
I see two issues here. One, a lot of top level employees are leaving, without even giving the new board a chance. Makes me wonder what they were doing that they did not want scrutiny. Two. it is being said about high wages, gotta pay them high wages to lure… Read more »
“I see two issues here. One, a lot of top level employees are leaving, without even giving the new board a chance. Makes me wonder what they were doing that they did not want scrutiny.”
Are you referring to those who left or the new board?
those that left. The new board hasn’t had a chance to do anything yet
“Outraged” –
The general rumor has it that Ms.Sherman was not offered an extension of her current employment contract. But only she and her county supervisors would know this to be correct.
The media should be able to verify this.
Having the arrogance to suggest that people would leave a job over a single employee, ANY employee for that matter, is just fatuous. These men are moving on to better paying jobs. Good for them. And best of luck to Mrs. Sherman in her retirement.
Hmm. Some new and current board members loudly proclaiming that current administration is being paid “outrageous” salaries and/or bashing their performance, and now all the vacancies and an apparently highly qualified interim CAO refusing that amount of money to come work here…cause and effect? Hopefully there is a lesson learned… Read more »
Qualified public servants in administrative positions should be paid according to what the other administrators in the state are paid. Otherwise what we’ll get are elected officials whose only “skills” or “qualifications” are that they got the most votes. And quite frankly, other than a few bursts of ego and… Read more »
I think I hit a nerve LOL
Yes Kicking,
hitting nerves and laughing seems to be a growing phenomenon in America today.
Whatever floats yer boat.
…and many of the shadow puppets who post here froth at the mouth about salaries and benefits and pensions being too high — and then we are told that it’s the remoteness that keeps qualified people from taking low paying jobs while pointing out that it’s expensive to live in… Read more »
Hey don’t talk about the Nations voters like that. . .
This has nothing to do with Madrid. What a joke!
Hmmmmm funny anyone that had anything to do with Deputy Madrid’s issues with the county are flying the coop….. I wonder why? First the Sheriff, then the CAO, and now Rita Sherman….. think it is a coincidence? NOT
I don’t think Madrid or any individual would have that much influence on anyone to make those decisions. Nice try but Madrid is just not that important.
….and here we go again with the Bridgeport bashing by Mammoth people.I,for one,would spend Winter in a tent at a campsite in Bridgeport before I spent the Winter in a Mammoth condo….
Please, people, be nice now and then. Bridgeport is remote and some people can’t adjust.
Others, like many of us here, like it!
Benett
Not everybody in Mammoth bashes Bridgeport.
I think Bridgeport a great town and I’ve often thought about living there. There are times when Bridgeport is just beautiful because it is so unspoiled.
…and wait for it… listen for the psycho shadow puppets to start their rants….
Yep you called it Ken .. hehe
Some do research and present facts – others are content with personal insults.
There are those on this blog who are clearly absolutists. Not willing to compromise on any subject but would rather rely on confrontation and even a cheap knock-off of ebonics thinking this is hilarious and a legitimate way to present facts and rhetoric.
Ken, Bridgeport is a great town. Independence is a great town. That’s not the point. The ideal candidate for administrative positions in local government owns a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, ten or so years experience and responsibilites in local government, and a willingness to relocate to an extremely rurual… Read more »
Bold idea – wait to see what happens. No one is claiming candidates will line up “in droves.”
BK
The point is, these “tax-eater” administrative positions aren’t as easy as most people think they are to fill. Especially for the truly qualified and experienced. It should indeed be interesting to see what happens.
No bashing intended. Relax. Rumor has it the remoteness (same as Independance BTW) is keeping some very qualified people from moving to the in-the-middle-of nowhere’sville. It’s a matter of logic – not personally bashing anybody’s town. Why do you think MMM doesn’t live in Mammoth? Ultra-rural isn’t for everyone. And… Read more »
Well, it is rather expensive to live in Mammoth – like most tourist destinations. A lot of people simply cannot afford it. Just rich Republicans (wink). So, the bashing is understandable … to a degree where it morphs into nasty.
Well, this should please the “I hate tax-eaters!” crowd. Maybe the supervisors can bargain with the new prospects and pay the qualified candidates half what the former top managers earned. Only trouble is (and I don’t mean to sound cruel – only realistic) who would want to work and live… Read more »