ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : The Net Must Be Flung Wide

Eleven days ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors promised a nationwide search for a new county administrative officer. But in looking for an interim CAO, to serve for an expected six months to nine months, they appear to be focusing mostly on area talent. The suggested candidates come from an area that ranges only from Garden Grove to Los Angeles.

It may very well be that because speed is of the essence in choosing someone to replace Ernie Schneider temporarily as CAO, the geographical scope has been restricted. (Schneider was demoted as CAO last week; he held the job while former county Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron’s investments put the county on the road to bankruptcy.) However, the supervisors should stick to their vow to search from coast to coast for a permanent replacement.

In the past, county officials have preferred to stick close to home in selecting people for top jobs. There have been exceptions, such as choosing a CAO from Santa Barbara County and a Health Care Agency director from Yolo County several years ago. But by and large, enough department heads have been promoted from within the ranks of county government to make the county look parochial at times. That cannot be allowed to happen in the wake of the county’s bankruptcy, declared Dec. 6. The stakes are too high; the best available national talent is needed.

That is not to say that anyone whose name has been floated as a possible interim appointee so far would be a poor choice. Most of those mentioned have extensive government or corporate experience. But there may be better candidates out there. The county’s extensively publicized problems presumably are known to any executive capable of helping to fix the financial crisis, especially since the supervisors have promised to give the newcomer more power than Schneider had.

There are many prospective candidates who have served in both the governmental and private sectors, a combination many county business people and academics recommend. It is up to the supervisors to cast the net as widely as they can.