Auditor-Controller Will Run for Post

Thomas Mahon, who was appointed to serve as Ventura County auditor-controller a year ago, announced Monday that he will run for the post next June.

Mahon, a self-described fiscal conservative, was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve the remainder of Norman Hawkes’ term. Hawkes was auditor-controller for 19 years until he retired in 1992. Mahon had served as Hawkes’ assistant.

Mahon said the position should remain independent of political maneuvering to guarantee the credibility of the post.

“I’ve never run for office and I’m not interested in positioning myself politically,” Mahon said. “I’m a professional auditor, not a politician.”

As auditor-controller, Mahon has overseen severe cuts in his agency’s budget. During the year, Mahon warned the Board of Supervisors about drastic declines in revenue and recently took the controversial stand of recommending that money raised by extending the half-cent sales tax should pay for the new County Jail in Santa Paula.

“It’s going to cost about $12 million a year to run the prison when it’s ready,” he said. “I don’t know where the money is going to come from” if not from the sales-tax extension funds.