Rebuttal to Hicks Columns

* Columnist Jerry Hicks criticized me June 30 and July 2 for voting against a county chief executive officer’s salary increase of $20,000, to $160,000 per year, even while he admits she runs a closed shop and fails to share information with the public, press and Board of Supervisors.

In addition, Hicks cannot comprehend how I could “kill” a contract to hire a base management team for El Toro even after a classic bait-and-switch of program managers occurred after the competition had closed.

Hicks ironically noted that CEO Jan Mittermeier never returns his calls, while he never bothered to interview me despite my being a key figure in his two columns.

Instead, he insinuates that I “lay in wait” to sabotage the Cabaco Inc. deal, when in fact I voted “yes” in March to authorize going out for a competitive bid process and again in May to choose Cabaco over the other firms to begin contract negotiations [to oversee the El Toro base closure]. Each time, I was the third and critical vote.

Hicks knows that I have been critical of the lack of accountability in county government extending well beyond El Toro reuse. The Cabaco fiasco is just another example of the CEO’s failed management tactics.

As a former deputy district attorney, I will not “look the other way” so that the CEO can continue to cover up her incompetence and perpetuate a set of daily broken rules that caused the bankruptcy.

The Board of Supervisors must hire a new CEO who respects honest government in order to move past the frozen mind-set that caused the county’s bankruptcy. Too bad Hicks didn’t bother to call me. I would have told him that the public deserves better.

TODD SPITZER

Supervisor, 3rd District