IT SEEMS PRETTY CLEAR THAT NEXT TO THE PROPOSED EL TORO AIRPORT
itself, the biggest loser in last month’s Measure F vote was Jan Mittermeier. The county CEO has become the fall gal for what was clearly a group effort on the pro-airport side. The upshot could be the ouster of Mittermeier after five generally solid and tranquil (as politics goes) years.
The move afoot by the county supervisors to replace her is the final and ultimate proof that the good times are here in full force. Various combinations of supes, for one reason or another, have been dissatisfied with OC’s Iron Lady during her reign, but they’ve never had the nerve to act on their displeasure.
Until now. With the economy surging along at a record clip, the Munchkins of County Government no longer need to quake at the Big Bad Witches of Bankruptcy or the Fearsome Wizards of Wall Street. Supervisors who earlier might have worried that ousting Mittermeier would be interpreted by the investment community as a worrisome sign of political instability, no longer seem burdened by such a concern. And why should they be? So the Munchkins look ready to sing Jan the “Ding Dong” song.
Yours truly has had some quibbles with Mittermeier over El Toro, too, especially over her shortcomings in the public relations arena, where the anti-airport forces have run circles around her. Yet I think more of the blame falls upon the majority of pro-airport supervisors, who should have long ago taken over that portion of the El Toro process.
And I have to sympathize with Mittermeier’s current, thankless predicament. The anti-airport crowd has branded her for years as a tyrant, pushing ahead the airport agenda with little regard for the feelings of South County. The pro-airport crowd, by contrast, has complained that she’s been a process-obsessed bureaucrat who hasn’t been tough enough, failing to pull all the stops to initiate cargo flights at the base, for instance. Too tough or too soft, which is it?
It’s easy just now to forget how much Mittermeier has accomplished. In the wake of the bankruptcy, she has brought stability and professionalism to the task of streamlining one of the nation’s biggest counties and nursing it back to health.
Except for El Toro and a few squabbles over job reassignments, she has all but escaped controversy, too. That’s no mean feat; remember that even as smooth and accomplished an executive as Bill Popejoy, during his much shorter tenure as Mittermeier’s predecessor, got embroiled in a silly and nasty public spat with then-supe Roger Stanton.
At this point, one suspects Mittermeier is as eager to go as the supervisors are to have her leave. As she is a 60-year-old career civil servant who makes $160,000 a year, a segue into a comparable government job is problematic. (The LAX job would have been dandy; too bad her cover was blown.)
So I suggest that Jan consider a short, career-ending hitch in the private sector. And I suggest that some VCer or board chairman in need of executive talent (should be a few of them out there) consider the qualifications of an experienced, accomplished administrator who has been through the wars.
It’s never fun to have politicians drag you through the mud, but landing a job with good pay and stock options could ease the pain.
