Chief Administrator Lin Koester Shoring Up a Battered Government

When he was hired as Ventura County’s chief administrative officer nearly two years ago, Lin Koester’s supporters said he would bring a steady hand to politically charged, financially battered county government.

And from all accounts, Koester appears to have proved them right.

“When I voted for him, I knew I was right,” said board Chairman John Flynn, one of only three supervisors to support Koester’s hiring.

“He’s fair, he’s knowledgeable, he doesn’t mess around,” Flynn said.

Indeed, once in his new job, the former Simi Valley manager wasted no time in letting county employees know changes were in store, that life would be noticeably different than it had been under their previous boss, Richard Wittenberg.

Faced with a large county deficit, Koester took the lead and began reorganizing his office, reducing his staff from 29 to 24 members, and hinting of more cuts.

Inheriting a complex and drawn-out budget process, Koester revamped the system and set a new policy requiring the county to approve its budget plan before the Legislature--allowing for adjustments later.

And calling upon his municipal experience, Koester set up monthly meetings with the county’s 10 city managers to brief them on everything from welfare reform to solid waste issues in an effort to strengthen ties among local governments.

For all his efforts, however, Koester, who will celebrate his second anniversary with the county in June, acknowledges his job has turned out to be more challenging than he anticipated.

The biggest problem is money, or rather the lack of it, he says. The state has gradually shifted $17 million worth of annual revenues away from the county to balance its own books, while leaving the county with myriad mandated programs to run.

“The funding limitations and its impact on counties have made it a very demanding job,” Koester said. “It’s a challenge to try and stay on top of services and to provide them in an efficient way.’

Still, Koester, 55, says he enjoys his job--a post he describes as “kind of like running two or three cities at the same time”--and has no immediate plans to retire. His initial two-year contract has already been extended another year.

“I plan on staying at least until there’s three votes to kick me out,” he said.

But Koester, who earns an annual base salary of $143,734, has no need to worry--at least for now.

A majority of board members last week expressed strong support for the county’s top executive, who was hired in a split vote. Former Supervisor Maggie Kildee and Supervisor Susan Lacey opposed Koester’s hiring because he had never served as a chief administrator.

“He’s done a very good job,” Flynn said. “He’s got everything under hand.”

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Flynn had long complained that Wittenberg had grown too influential during his 16 years at the helm, referring to him as “the sixth member of the board.” Wittenberg, who left the county just as newly elected Supervisors Frank Schillo and Judy Mikels had come aboard, denied the charge.

Still, Flynn and others said there is a noticeable difference in Koester and Wittenberg’s management styles.

Wittenberg, a Democrat, built his reputation among county employees and officials as an affable manager who skillfully used his wit and charm to defuse tensions and build consensus on pressing issues.

Koester, on the other hand, is a Republican who was regarded in Simi Valley as a no-nonsense manager, one whose philosophy drew heavily on his background as a Navy submarine officer--emphasizing discipline, order and hard work.

Another underlying difference, officials say, is that Wittenberg did not involve himself with the day-to-day operations of county government. Instead, he delegated those duties to then-Assistant Administrator Bob Hirtensteiner.

Shortly after Hirtensteiner retired, Koester did away with his position and took a more active role on all fronts, personally involving himself on everything from libraries to public works projects, officials said.

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“He’s there in the trenches; he’s hands-on,” said Treasurer/Tax Collector Hal Pittman, also a former Navy officer. “It’s not a spectator sport for him. Again, I think, because of his Navy training, he is very demanding of himself and his staff. For some of those who wanted a more relaxed or less disciplined approach, well, they’re not here anymore.”

Public Works Director Art Goulet, who has known Koester for more than 25 years, agreed that Koester likes being involved in all aspects of county government.

“Wittenberg was a much more laissez faire administrator,” Goulet said. “He was involved with you when there was a crisis. But he was not really involved at other times. That’s not necessarily bad, just different. Lin is there to give guidance any time, whether there is a crisis or not.”

Indeed, if there is any fault that Koester has as a manager, Goulet said, it may be that he takes on too much, rather than turning over the work to someone else.

“Sometimes I think he’s a little too involved for his own good,” Goulet said. “You can stretch yourself too thin. But that’s a judgment call he has to make.”

Koester seems to have won over the support of all five supervisors. Even Lacey, who voted to extend Koester’s contract for another year, acknowledges Koester has done a good job.

“I just heard from an administrator who said he was the best boss they ever had,” she said. “I have no complaints.”

Supervisor Kathy Long, whose former boss--Kildee--voted against hiring Koester, said she also appreciates Koester’s professionalism and dedication.

“I think he’s doing a very good job,” she said. “I’m pleased with his creativeness and that he looks at the county like he’s operating a business, making sure everything is as cost-efficient as possible.”

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For instance, Long said, she was impressed that Koester immediately commissioned a study to determine if the county should keep contracting with Conflict Defense Associates to provide alternate public defender services. The firm’s contract ran more than $500,000 over its budget this year.

The study later concluded the costs were justified because of a rise in felony cases, but also suggested the county consider encouraging other bidders for the contract in the future.

“He didn’t waste any time taking action to look to see if there were weaknesses with the contract,” Long said. “He’s very good at looking at financial matters.”

Long also credits Koester for not trying to dominate, or push his own political agenda.

“I personally like him,” she said. “He doesn’t try to play one board member against the other and that’s really appreciated. We have our own agendas and goals. He stays out of the line of fire quite well.”

Since coming into his new job, Koester has also sought to repair relations with Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury and Sheriff Larry Carpenter, both of whom had a contentious relationship with Wittenberg.

At a recent board hearing, Bradbury praised Koester as a tireless and honest county manager, one “who walks on water as far as I’m concerned.”

“He doesn’t sit around and bs,” Bradbury said last week. “He gets to the heart of the issue. He’s a take-charge guy. And you always get a decision out of him. You may not like it, but you will get a decision.”

Although he has won the support of his bosses and the respect of other county elected officials, Koester and the board still face some major challenges.

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He said the county’s top priorities over coming years will be to protect Point Mugu Navy base from closure, to oversee the conversion of Camarillo State Hospital into a new Cal State University campus and to preserve the county’s annual $1.2-billion farming industry.

“In my opinion, these are very important economic development issues,” he said. “We’ve got to keep the jobs here.”

And of course, there is the county budget. Koester’s office has projected a $15.6-million budget imbalance for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Budget hearings are set to begin the last week of June.

But Koester warned departments in February to begin tightening their belts, so they could use whatever savings and reserves they have at the end of the fiscal year to help balance their own budgets.

Koester said no departments will be immune from cuts, including his office.

“I’m not exempt,” he said. “We are already extremely lean. But we will reevaluate ourselves like other agencies for potential cuts.”

But things may not be so bleak. Koester said there are several bills pending before the Legislature that seek to recoup some of the money siphoned away from counties by the state in recent years. In fact, Koester said, there is a chance Ventura County could get as much as $7 million back from the state next fiscal year.

“I think we’ve kind of bottomed out,” Koester said. “My prediction is that we’re going to get some money back from the state. But how much, I don’t know.”