Interim County Administrator Appointed

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Bert Bigler was named interim chief administrator on Tuesday.

Bigler, a county employee for more than two decades, will be in charge of more than 7,200 employees until supervisors select a replacement for Lin Koester.

Koester is retiring to Portland, Ore., after serving 30 years in government administration in Ventura County. His last day is Thursday.

After supervisors thanked Koester for his many years of service, they voted to promote Bigler. Bigler’s annual salary of about $100,000 will increase $5,000 while he serves as chief administrator.

Meanwhile, supervisors are scheduled to interview the 10 finalists for the job Sept. 23. They include John Johnston, who runs the county’s 270-employee General Services Agency, and Stephen Beal, a 26-year military officer, who recently retired as a captain from Point Mugu Naval Air Station.