Board Gives Mixed Farewell to Top Executive : Government: Some say departure of chief administrator will restore power to elected county officials; others lament his leaving.

As Ventura County’s chief administrator Richard Wittenberg prepares to leave for a new job in January, a central question remains: Will his departure change how the county does its business?

Supervisor John K. Flynn thinks so. And that change won’t be all bad.

Flynn insists that Wittenberg, chief executive for 16 years, has had more to do with directing county policy than the Board of Supervisors in recent years. And it is time, he said, for the elected board to reassert itself.

Many do not share Flynn’s view.

“The board has always made up its own mind,” Supervisor Maggie Kildee said. “(But) I think the board has not always done what Mr. Flynn has wanted.”

Kildee and the other three county supervisors say they consider 54-year-old Wittenberg’s decision to move to Santa Clara County a major blow.

And finding an equally skilled manager won’t be easy, they said, because Wittenberg was not only an administrator, but a financial adviser, teacher, referee and general confidant to his bosses on the board.

His greatest strength--and perhaps the one quality most difficult to replace--is Wittenberg’s ability to quell disputes between county department heads, and among board members, with wit, cool and charm, officials said.

“He’s managed to create an environment where there’s much less animosity among board members,” Supervisor Maria VanderKolk said. “He’s created a congenial atmosphere where people can work and get along.”

Wittenberg himself does not disagree.

“I try to get people working in a team fashion, . . . not at people’s throats,” he said. “In many counties, it doesn’t work that way. I think I’m a factor in that, but I don’t want to brag.”

Even Flynn, who has repeatedly clashed with Wittenberg and his board colleagues, said the chief executive is “a personable individual.” But he quickly added, “sometimes you can have too much of that.

“If your only goal is to make people happy, that does not necessarily lead to good decisions,” he said. “That is not the only job of a CEO.”

Flynn suggested that the role of the new county administrator may be quite different under a newly configured board. Supervisors-elect Judy Mikels and Frank Schillo will be sworn in Jan. 3.

“I think with two new board members coming on, we’ll see some changes,” Flynn said. “I think we’ll have more of a take-charge board.”

While respectful of Wittenberg’s accomplishments, Mikels and Schillo have pledged to take a strong leadership role on the board, particularly on financial matters. A Wittenberg strength has long been his early estimates of budget shortfalls, prompting supervisors’ spending cuts in response.

“It will be a loss to the county because he has a great deal of experience,” Schillo said. “But at the same time, it presents a real opportunity to take hold of the reins of government and give some direction to different departments.”

Mikels agreed. “I think even if Richard had stayed, there would have been some changes,” she said. The Republican Party’s recent landmark victories in key local, state and federal races sent her a message that voters want politicians to lead and not do business as usual, she said.

“It’s clear the public is saying enough is enough,” she said. “I think the message is to tighten up and flatten out. So I think you’ll find the new board with a more conservative approach.”

Even if Wittenberg had remained in his role as the county’s most powerful non-elected official, the new board would have taken positions opposite the current board’s and contrary to some of the chief executive’s recommendations, Flynn said.

For example, Mikels, Schillo and Flynn all say they will dedicate all sales taxes generated for law enforcement by Proposition 172 to public safety agencies. Faced with a sharp deficit earlier this year, the current board allocated more than $1 million of that money to departments outside public safety and set aside another $4 million as a reserve.

Indeed, some county officials said an ongoing dispute with Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury and Sheriff Larry Carpenter over distribution of the law enforcement funds may have played a part in Wittenberg’s decision to leave.

Wittenberg, however, denied that there was any connection.

VanderKolk said she thinks that the dispute over Proposition 172 money will not end with the arrival of two new supervisors.

Both of the new supervisors are coming from city government, she said, “and they may not understand that the county budget is in terrible shape, and why.”

VanderKolk and Supervisor Vicky Howard, both of whom are retiring, praised Wittenberg for his foresight and quick response as state revenue to the county evaporated over the last five years.

“He is a real visionary. He could look ahead and anticipate financial problems,” Howard said. “Look at what is happening throughout the state, and yet the county has a solid financial standing.”

Kildee credited Wittenberg with consistent successful lobbying of state and federal lawmakers for grants and other aid. She also praised him for giving department heads the freedom to be creative.

While acknowledging that “I’m not looking to clone Richard,” Kildee said there is one trait she hopes his replacement will share.

“He’s a very caring person,” she said. “He understands and supports the fact that the county is a safety net for people who don’t have health care, or whatever (service) it may be.”

Even Flynn said there are some qualities about Wittenberg he will miss.

“I like Richard as a person,” Flynn said. “If I was destitute and I needed help, I’d go to Richard. . . . He’s an outstanding human being.”