Another View of Schillo

Re “Schillo Takes Role as Chief Inquisitor,” Jan. 23.

This puff piece about Supervisor Frank Schillo and his attempts to solve some of Ventura County’s budget problems ruined my breakfast. The writer was just a little short of nominating Schillo for sainthood when in fact Schillo seems to be the most hypocritical person ever to be a county official.

The truest statement in the article came from [county employees union leader] Barry Hammitt, who said, “Some of us wonder whether his fiscal conservatism and concern for taxpayer dollars begins and ends at the tip of his nose.”

The article states that Schillo moved his office from the county government center to the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, which cost the county an additional $10,000 per year. Schillo says criticism about that is unfair because he has since negotiated a 21% decrease in the rent. Doesn’t that still leave the taxpayers with a $7,900 additional bill?

Schillo last year fought for, and got, a 7.7% raise even though he knew that the county was going to be fined more than $15 million, which would cause a severe budget shortfall.

Since the resignation of [short-term county administrator] David L. Baker, Schillo has said, “I told them we were going down the tubes” and “I will question all department managers about their budgets.” The word I is a constant in everything Schillo says. He should be reminded of the adage, “There is no I in the word ‘team.’ ” It is very easy for Schillo to criticize everybody after the fact but a good leader would have insisted that the team as a whole do the right thing in the first place.

TOM GIBBONS

Port Hueneme