Supervisors Right, but for Wrong Reason
It appears that the Board of Supervisors did the right thing in keeping a county executive officer position recently, but it did the wrong thing in retaining the incumbent, Jan Mittermeier. They did the right thing by keeping the position strong; they did it for the wrong reason, because they apparently fear a lawsuit.
The pre-1994 structure in county government was too weak to sustain its mission. The position of administrative officer lacked the authority to direct a complex organization. Any consideration of reverting to a weak CEO position should be banished.
Another important lesson from the bankruptcy has been ignored. Although the structure of county government contributed directly to the collapse, the culture was equally responsible. There were warning signs. Professional public servants were silenced when they urged the board to ask hard questions. The culture of that time in the county required that staff not rock the boat.
Six months before the bankruptcy, the county bureaucracy stonewalled public records requests, delayed responses to questions, denied the allegations, engaged in whisper campaigns to discredit criticism and circled the wagons to prevent an open, honest appraisal of the public’s business.
It is sad that five years after the bankruptcy, the culture has not changed, and sadly, the CEO has not changed it. Instead, the county has taken significant steps backward in its oppressive treatment of the public and the professionals it employs. Department heads, executives and managers who keep their heads low and follow orders will be unlikely to sound alerts when the county again proceeds down the wrong path. Fear, intimidation and a requirement to fall in with marching orders emanating from the third floor do not create a culture of excellence.
The board rightly acknowledged Mittermeier for the financial leadership she brought in the wake of the bankruptcy. It’s impossible to be too lavish in praising her skills at creating a long-term financial planning process and implementing sound fiscal practices. She handled crisis management with outstanding success.
The board, however, must take some responsibility for the brain drain and the repressive culture for remaining county employees. Certainly, the county now has the attention of the Wall Street rating agencies that will be looking at management issues far beyond financial stability. It’s too bad Mittermeier did not choose to resign given the evident erosion of confidence from the board.
Many county staff members lie low, avoiding any issue that could enrage the CEO, trying to anticipate her wishes, concealing problems from the elected officials and wishing for some magic to happen that will make things better.
I believed that Measure F, which would require two-thirds approval of voters for certain major projects, was bad public policy, however I voted “yes” as a referendum on the county’s planning process. I don’t think the board understood the message. It is time for a change in leadership at the county. It should start now with the CEO.
