County CEO’s Style Begins to Draw Criticism

Despite public displays of unity, some county supervisors and department heads are privately clashing with Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier over what they perceive as her strong-willed and secretive management style.

“She’s very autocratic,” said one supervisor who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Jan has a great deal of difficulty working with other agencies in the county. Her attitude is, ‘This is my way and there’s no other way to do it.’ The responsiveness is just not there.”

The Board of Supervisors has tentatively scheduled a closed-door performance evaluation of Mittermeier in coming weeks. And one elected official said he is thinking about resigning from office because of the way she runs the county’s bureaucracy.

“I’m disenchanted,” said County Clerk-Recorder Gary L. Granville, who remarked that he is reluctantly considering stepping down because of his run-ins with Mittermeier and her staff. “I’ve noticed a change in county government and I’m very concerned. I can’t be effective the way things are done now.”

Granville said Mittermeier is attempting to usurp power from the supervisors, who are still shellshocked from the county’s bankruptcy. He said she limits the access department heads have to board members, and tends to resist suggestions from others on how to downsize and streamline government.

Furthermore, he said, she does not treat county department heads with respect.

“She has an in-your-face style” of management, Granville said, adding that she has a propensity for sending what he calls “mean-spirited memos” when she perceives she is being crossed. “I’ve got a small stack of them.”

Mittermeier declined to be interviewed for this story.

“During times of change, when difficult decisions are being made, it is not surprising that disagreements occur,” said Lynne Fishel, the county’s spokeswoman. “Jan has indicated that she’s probably doing her job right if there are people critical of her actions.”

Mittermeier was hired by the board last September as the county’s first permanent CEO, and was given broad authority to manage the county’s affairs as well as its plans to emerge from bankruptcy.

The board created a strong chief executive position to replace that of the county administrative officer, whose lack of authority over county department heads was considered a contributing factor in the governmental breakdown that led to the county’s Dec. 6, 1994, financial collapse. Among Mittermeier’s powers is the authority to hire and fire nonelected department heads.

Mittermeier was selected by the supervisors to replace William J. Popejoy, the interim CEO who quit months ahead of schedule, claiming that the board refused to relinquish any real authority to the position. Mittermeier’s current clash with the board also seems to be over authority.

Some supervisors say Mittermeier brashly, even rudely, dismisses their suggestions and requests regarding county business. But they said they are reluctant to publicly criticize her, because they don’t want to jeopardize the county’s bankruptcy recovery efforts--which are largely dependent on Wall Street firms believing that the county’s leadership is stable and united.

Supervisor William G. Steiner acknowledged that the relationship between some board members and Mittermeier is “troubled,” but downplayed the severity of the tensions.

“Everybody is still trying to get used to the situation of having a strong CEO,” he said.

Most department heads report directly to Mittermeier and also are reluctant to criticize their boss publicly. “I don’t have a death wish,” said one department head when asked to comment on Mittermeier’s management style. Privately, however, some say she is micromanaging to the point of leaving them powerless to run their own shops.

Granville and others say that Mittermeier prefers to do much of the public’s business behind closed doors, without involving the supervisors. She also attempts to keep a tight control on the release of information to the public, they said.

In a recent memo, Mittermeier asked appointed department heads to refrain from speaking to reporters and direct any inquiries to her office, Granville said.

“That’s offensive,” he said.

Bruce Whitaker, a Fullerton anti-tax activist and candidate for supervisor, complained that county government, under Mittermeier, has become more secretive and less open to public involvement.

“She’s done an excellent job as a gatekeeper,” Whitaker said. “As a result, we have an uncontroversial, low-profile county government. I’m not sure that’s a good thing. We need to shed some light on what’s going on.”

Whatever conflict exists between Mittermeier and the other county officials, it rarely shows during the weekly Board of Supervisors meetings, where the relationship seems cordial and relaxed. By contrast, Mittermeier’s predecessor, Popejoy, often clashed with the board during public meetings.

“The level of confrontation is gone. The public conflict is gone,” said Patricia Harrigan, who has monitored board meetings for the League of Women Voters since 1991. “Ms. Mittermeier is a great deal more low-key.

“I wonder how [supervisors] are adjusting to giving the CEO real authority,” she said. “I wonder whether they are reluctant to let the CEO make big and expensive decisions.”

Mittermeier has both supporters and detractors when it comes to her performance as CEO.

“I’ve had a wonderful working relationship with Jan,” said Bruce Bennett, the county’s bankruptcy attorney. “And I think that’s been true for all of the professionals involved in the bankruptcy process.” Supervisor Don Saltarelli said Mittermeier is “a person of indisputable integrity. She’s very bright and very talented.” But he declined to discuss his views of the CEO in greater depth, saying it’s a personnel issue that the board will soon deal with as part of Mittermeier’s six-month evaluation.

Saltarelli, however, did express some frustration over the county staff’s pace in dealing with some of his policy suggestions, including a proposal he made in December that the county identify regulations that could be eliminated or modified in an effort to stimulate the local economy.

“I am disappointed at how long it takes to do certain things,” Saltarelli said. “But to defend staff, they are working overtime and they are understaffed.” He said it is understandable that some less pressing issues “go off the front burner” when officials need to deal with time-sensitive matters such as bankruptcy recovery.

Supervisor Marian Bergeson said Mittermeier is “doing a good job on budgetary items. But I find some frustration in not being able to advance policy issues.” She added that Mittermeier has been slow to accept policy advice or suggestions from the board.

“Any good idea should be explored,” she said.

Supervisor Roger R. Stanton said Mittermeier has made positive strides in changing the county’s top administrative position. He added that “Jan is not at all bashful of countering the views of a supervisor when she feels it is appropriate to do so. I consider that a strength.”

Mittermeier has also come under fire from some members of the Orange County Retirement Board, especially for her role in the firing of the retirement system’s former administrator, Mary-Jean Hackwood.

Hackwood was accused in December of abusing her authority by forcing employees to run personal errands. After an investigation, the retirement board voted to demote Hackwood. But Mittermeier raised concerns about the decision, describing the demotion in a memo as “problematic” and saying it didn’t comply with county personnel practices.

Later that week, the retirement board decided to fire Hackwood. Some members and system employees praised Mittermeier’s stance, but a few panelists accused her of trying to impose her will on a system that by law operates independent of the county.

“I felt it was somewhat improper,” said retirement board member Bruce A. Moore. “I think she mucked up the process we had for resolving this issue.”

Moore also said relations between the county and the retirement system would improve if the CEO employed a more conciliatory style. “Miss Mittermeier sends pronouncements out of her office,” Moore said. “I think dialogue would be much more appropriate.”