Help Wanted
VIEWPOINT
by John Moorlach
Having only two jobs these past 26 years since college, it was disconcerting to have the fact that I applied for the county’s CEO position revealed in the press.
The broadcasting of this decision has created an outpouring of telephone calls and e-mails inquiring about my sanity. One e-mailer stated it concisely: “Going from elected to appointed in Orange County in 2003 is a high-wire act of courage.”
It’s too bad for the county, its employees and residents that the CEO position has had so much turmoil these past eight years. That in itself is reason enough for the board of supervisors to appoint someone who will bring stability to the job.
I see a very long list of priorities facing the person selected.
Space doesn’t allow for a treatise explaining my concerns. One could obtain a copy of the 2002-03 Orange County Grand Jury’s report for a beginner-crash-course of what ails the fiscal and administrative functions of Orange County government.
Let me summarize it in an anecdote. Our former chief financial officer constructed a five- and 10-year strategic financial plan. He analyzed our revenue sources in conjunction with Chapman University’s fine economic staff. He projected our future annual expenditures, taking into account recent salary and benefit increases. He looked at the federal and state financial instabilities. And he came to two conclusions: The first was that the county was heading for a “perfect storm.” The second is that he retired.
Enough ink has been spent on the last four casualties in the position of CEO (giving one the impression that CEO stands for “Career Ending Opportunity”). What should the taxpayers, the board of supervisors, the county’s department heads and the county’s employees expect from our next CEO?
They should expect the following:
n A balanced management style.
n A strong knowledge of the county’s infrastructure.
n An ability to tell the board of supervisors what they may not want to hear.
n The strength to rein in the office of human resources, whose escapades have kept last year’s grand jury overly occupied.
n The fortitude to re-address and improve employee incentive programs so that they have meaning. (If every employee gets 100% of an incentive, is it really an incentive? And why did we spend so much for such a superficial and amateurish idea,$75 million according to the grand jury, an estimate that might be on the conservative side?)
n The chutzpah to re-evaluate recently enacted, but overly generous, pension benefits to selected employee groups. (The unfunded actuarial accrued liability for this perquisite was an immediate $290 million.)
n The vision to correct the CEO’s organizational chart and prior power consolidation.
n The will to modify the decentralization efforts. (The bankruptcy filing brought hopes of true governmental reform,this wasn’t it.)
n The wisdom to work well with all of the county’s cities and special districts.
n The vision to consolidate with the cities’ certain services, such as fleet management.
n The stamina to work well with the members of the media.
n The wherewithal to improve our technological shortcomings.
n The ability to communicate well with the county’s residents.
n The foresight to prevent another planning department financial fiasco.
n The strength to extricate the county from an ill-advised and costly project labor agreement.
n The ability to discern that internal audit should be returned to the elected office of the auditor-controller.
n The sense to work with nearby municipalities to create our own self-funded workers’ compensation insurance program that will reduce our costs.
n The determination to restructure other employee benefits for savings, such as by contracting certain employee medical insurance providers.
n The fiscal and investment depth to properly determine the prudence of a pension obligation bond issuance to cover all, part or none of the liability incurred in our defined benefit pension plan as a result of benefit increases (the majority of this liability) or the recent stock market downturn (the remainder).
n A clear understanding of budgets.
The CEO’s position is a big job. I’m honored that Supervisor Norby challenged me to consider the position. I am content and adequately challenged by my current position. Thank you very much. I’m certainly up for the challenge, but I do not need to be CEO.
Moorlach is a certified public accountant, a certified financial planner and the Orange County treasurer-tax collector
