Supervisors to Select 9 for Salary Study Panel

Ventura County supervisors today will select nine individuals to study possible salary and benefit increases for the supervisors and six elected department heads.

The supervisors will choose from a pool of 20 candidates selected by Chief Administrative Officer Lin Koester. Seven participants and two alternates will sit on the Blue Ribbon Salary Review Committee.

The decision to set up the panel marks the first time board members have considered changing their pay since a controversy arose several years ago over their failure to maintain tight control over benefits and perks.

In 1992, the issue became politically volatile after a Times survey showed that 11 top elected officials and then-Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg received more than $300,000 in extra benefits.

The Ventura County Grand Jury looked into the matter and identified more than 15 compensation benefits and perks that it said were excessive, including thousands of dollars in hidden transportation allowances, and vacation, longevity and education benefits.

Supervisors rescinded most of the perks but raised each supervisor’s base salary, which is now $71,897 annually.

The candidates--many of whom county officials had not contacted by Monday evening--are:

* Labor: Ken Corney, Ventura Police Officers’ Assn. president.

* Businesses and private sector: Attorney Gregory Ramirez of England, Whitfield, Schroeder and Tredway; Dennis Orrock, an attorney and former Ventura mayor and councilman; attorney Carmen Ramirez, and Penny Bohannon, Ventura County Economic Development Assn. executive director.

Also, Bank of America Senior Vice President Susan Abundas, Southern California Edison Region Manager Mike Montoya, Amgen Human Resources Vice President Ed Garnett, Bugle Boy Human Resources Vice President Louis Leidelmeyer, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust representative Sue Chadwick and former Ventura County Grand Jury Foreman Donald Thibeault.

* Private nonprofit: Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley Executive Director Linda White, League of Women Voters representative Georgianna Gaskas and Interface Executive Director Chuck Watson.

* Public sector: Oxnard Police Chief Art Lopez, Superior Court Judge Melinda Johnson, Oxnard College counselor Aurora de la Selva, former Simi Valley mayor Greg Stratton and former Camarillo mayor and councilman Stan Daily.

* Ventura County Taxpayers Assn. President Mike Saliba.

The candidates represent a more ethnically diverse prospective membership than the county’s 1992 blue-ribbon committee.

That committee was formed in response to the controversy over the excessive perks revelation.