County Leaders Still Open to CEO Candidate Who Spurned Job Offer

At least four Orange County supervisors have indicated they would be happy to reconsider Santa Barbara County CEO Chandra L. Wallar for the job of chief executive officer in the county, now that Santa Barbara County supervisors have decided not to keep her.

Some suggested that Wallar might be more flexible on salary, since her current employment is terminating.

The Santa Barbara County supervisors voted 5-0 on Tuesday not to renew Wallar's contract when it expires on Oct. 31. Last month, Wallar turned down the Orange County CEO job when supervisors would not match her salary demand. Wallar was also unhappy that her negotiations with Orange County supervisors were leaked to the Voice of OC website and that the supervisors later discussed her offer in public.

Officials defended such public discussion since, saying that laws were changed after the scandal over salaries in the City of Bell.

Orange County supervisors Janet Nguyen, John Moorlach and Todd Spitzer told City News Service they would be happy to reconsider Wallar for CEO if she called.

"I've always thought she was an excellent candidate and she would bring a lot of value to this county," said Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who negotiated the offer to Wallar with Supervisor Patricia Bates.

Wallar had not called Nguyen following the vote of the Santa Barbara County supervisors, Nguyen said.

"If Chandra Wallar was interested in talking to Orange County we'd be really excited about that," Supervisor Todd Spitzer said. "If she wanted to talk to us she'd be extremely understanding of what the offer is. The offer isn't going to change, but I hope she's got my phone in her speed dial."

Spitzer sympathized with Wallar's complaint about the leak in negotiations.

"It wasn't handled professionally how it got leaked out," Spitzer said, adding that he thinks the issue would "come out in the wash" if negotiations were revisited.

"In this business we're all big boys and girls. It's still a salary increase for her and she's getting this great opportunity," Spitzer said. "Maybe this is fate's way of saying she should consider Orange County."

Supervisor John Moorlach acknowledged that Wallar may not have the same leverage and might be more accepting of the county's offer.

"I would be open to it," Moorlach said of a reconsideration of Wallar. "She would have to sort of explain why she got so overly frustrated with us as we were trying to struggle to get our arms around a fair compensation package. She should know it had nothing to do with her. So, who knows, she might be a little open to a different salary now."

The supervisors were set to discuss the CEO search in closed session next week, Moorlach said.

"It could be an option," Moorach said of Wallar.

Moorlach said he was "pretty impressed" that the negotiations with Wallar remained confidential for as long as they did.

"There's no such thing as confidentiality when dealing with board offices," Moorlach said. "You might as well be dealing with a screen door."

Moorlach said Wallar was a "top candidate, so that's up to her and my four colleagues, but we're not done with the process so the door is open a little."

Orange County Supervisor Patricia Bates called Wallar an "exceptionally qualified candidate" and would welcome her interest in the county's top administrative post.

"She has an engineering degree and has many, many years working in government. That's why I was particularly high on her during the recruiting process," Bates said. "I think it would be wonderful for Orange County if she were willing to come here and be open to a reduction that original (salary) request. It depends on if she wants to reopen the discussions, but I would be first in line to entertain that."

Wallar still has a job through October so there's time to reopen negotiations, Bates said.

Wallar wanted about $290,000 in annual salary and agreed to pay for all of her pension contribution, a key for Orange County officials who want to lead the way on the reform of retirement benefits.

The supervisors have been looking for a new CEO since Tom Mauk resigned in July, a casualty of the political fallout from the prosecution of former county executive and Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante on sex charges. Chief Financial Officer Robert Franz has been filling in and is not a candidate for CEO.

Mauk's annual salary was about $253,000, but he did not have to pay for all of his pension contributions. The increased salary offer to Wallar was meant to compensate for the extra pension costs.

Wallar also wanted $15,000 in moving costs. Her current salary is about $232,000.

Nguyen told the board last month that the overall compensation for Wallar would be less than Mauk's.

Complicating the discussion over the proposed salary for Wallar last month was the $300,000-plus annual salaries for CEOs in San Diego, Riverside and other area counties.

Moorlach suggested offering Wallar $275,000 annual salary while dropping the relocation-cost perk of $15,000. Moorlach also supported Nguyen's suggestion that instead of an automatic raise of 5 percent after one year that it be a merit-based raise up to 5 percent.

- City News Service