County to Pick New CEO

Orange County supervisors today will consider hiring a new chief executive officer, nearly a year after the county's last top administrator resigned because of fallout from the prosecution of a former county executive on sex charges.

Mike Giancola, the county's waste chief, is poised to take the CEO job after 34 years working his way up from a parks groundskeeper. Supervisors will consider a contract with a base salary of $245,000, less than former CEO Tom Mauk's annual pay of about $253,000.

The supervisors in March wanted to hire Santa Barbara County CEO Chandra L. Wallar, but she turned them down when the board wasn't willing to meet her demand of about $290,000 in annual salary. She also wanted $15,000 in moving costs.

Wallar's current employers voted in April to not renew her contract, which expires Oct. 31.

When the recruitment of Wallar fell apart, county officials took a look within their own ranks for a successor, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Shawn Nelson said.

"We all looked at each other and (Supervisor) Pat Bates and I decided to form our own subcommittee, and we just tried to short-list people we should be interviewing and we hadn't," Nelson said.

In the initial search for a new CEO, the county-hired recruiter only had one internal candidate, Nelson said.

Nelson and Bates encouraged Giancola to apply, and he interviewed well, Nelson said.

"We sat down to negotiate terms and he couldn't have been easier to deal with. It's like a dream come true," Nelson said.

Hiring Giancola would send a positive message to county employees, Nelson said.

"This guy truly worked his way from the bottom up, and it's healthy for any organization that people believe you can have dreams, work hard and start at the bottom and there's no artificial ceiling if you don't have a certain pedigree. You can still get to the top," Nelson said.

"I think it's a great pick. He's a proven leader in the county, he's got a long track record and it speaks volumes to everyone in the county."

One potential hiccup might be that Giancola is the subject of a lawsuit that county officials have tentatively agreed to try to settle for $350,000. County officials say an independent review of the matter cleared Giancola.

The lawsuit involved allegations that Giancola demoted a former human resources manager for refusing to bend county recruitment policies and for the way he handled a sexual harassment case.

Nelson said, "I would hope we put this to bed for the sake of the county. We need to identify a leader and move forward."

Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach said he is "comfortable" with Giancola in the top administrative spot.

"I don't know if my colleagues want to take more time -- that's their choice," Moorlach said. "But I believe he has a high integrity level. He knows the drill. He's been here and I think it speaks well that you can work your way up the ranks here and the county and make it to CEO."

The supervisors have been searching for a new CEO since Mauk resigned in July following the prosecution of former county executive and Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante on sex charges. Chief Financial Officer Robert Franz has been interim CEO since then.

Bustamante is awaiting a preliminary hearing on the charges later this year.

- City News Service