County May Widen Hunt for Executive : Hiring: A report to supervisors recommends a statewide recruitment of candidates for the chief administrator’s post.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors is considering spending as much as $70,000 for a statewide search to replace chief administrator Richard Wittenberg, who is leaving in January to take a new job.

Reflecting a consensus the board reached in private meetings, county Personnel Director Ronald W. Komers said that while several local candidates are qualified for the job, he believes a more extensive search is warranted.

“The chief administrative officer position is one of the most important in county government and, in my opinion, requires an individual with substantial California county experience,” Komers wrote in a report to the board. “I believe the citizens would be best served by a statewide recruitment to assure that the board have an adequate number of candidates.”

Supervisors John K. Flynn and Maggie Kildee said Thursday they would probably support a statewide search but hoped this would not discourage local candidates who are interested in applying for the job.

“I think there are a number of qualified candidates in the county,” Flynn said. “I don’t want them to feel reluctant to (apply) just because it’s a statewide search.”

Although Komers’ office usually conducts its own executive searches, Kildee said she would prefer to hire a private consultant because of the complex nature of the administrator’s job. Kildee said it would also help avoid any potential conflict of interest should a local candidate, particularly a current county official, apply for the job.

“With an outside consultant we could eliminate that problem,” Kildee said.

Kildee initially preferred a nationwide search but agreed with Komers and others that it would be helpful for Wittenberg’s successor to have some knowledge of California’s laws and budget problems.

Newly elected Supervisors Frank Schillo and Judy Mikels, who will be sworn in Jan. 3, have participated in closed-door meetings with current board members about finding a replacement for Wittenberg.

Schillo said he supported the statewide search, but Mikels could not be reached for comment. Flynn and Kildee said that they were unaware of any opposition that Mikels might have to the current board moving ahead with the search process.

Kildee said she expects both Schillo and Mikels to attend Tuesday’s board meeting when the issue will be decided. Any concerns they might have could be voiced then, she said.

Komers said he is recommending that the county hire one of four California-based firms to conduct the search for a new manager at a cost ranging from $27,000 to $70,000. The one-time cost, he said, would be covered by funds from the existing budget of the chief administrative officer.

The four executive search firms recommended for the board’s consideration are: Norman Roberts & Associates of Los Angeles, Ralph Anderson Associates of Sacramento, Heidrick & Struggles of Los Angeles and David M. Griffith & Associates of Carmichael.

If the board agrees to hire a consultant, Komers said he expects a statewide search would then take between 60 to 90 days to provide a list of candidates.

Meanwhile, Kildee and Flynn said the board is still mulling over what to do about an interim replacement for Wittenberg. Both said it’s possible that a temporary replacement would be named soon, but Flynn said he would prefer to wait until Schillo and Mikels have taken office before making that decision.

Wittenberg, the county’s top manager for 16 years, announced last month that he had accepted the top executive job in Santa Clara County. His last day is Jan. 21.