Power still belongs to the people (Jan 7)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
Concerns have been raised about how the Madera County Board of Supervisors will approach the task of replacing former County Auditor Robert DeWall, who decided to retire after being accused of dereliction of duty by the Madera County Grand Jury.
The concerns grew out of county administration building murmurings that the supervisors not only would want to name a replacement for DeWall quickly, but would want to make the auditor’s job permanently appointive.
County Clerk-Recorder Rebecca Martinez and Treasurer-Tax Collector Tracy Kennedy- Desmond both spoke before the supervisors last month, saying they felt it would be a mistake to make the auditor’s job appointive. That would destroy the auditor’s independence, they said.
Commentator and county observer Dale Drozen said Tuesday he thought that whatever the supervisors do, they should explain it well in advance and make the procedure transparent, as they did when they chose Michael Keitz to replace District Attorney Ernie LiCalsi, who last year was elected to the superior court.
Both concerns were heightened when the supervisors on Tuesday appeared to be appointing Jim Boyajian, who had been DeWall’s No. 2 employee, to replace DeWall. But that turned out not to be so.
Boyajian, who has helped hold the auditor’s office together during the DeWall crisis, was appointed acting auditor, to sign checks and run the office while the supervisors sort out what to do next.
What they should do next is make sure they choose the new auditor with the same deliberation and openness they used to replace LiCalsi. And at this point, except for a few suspicions, there’s no indication they plan to do otherwise.
To make the auditor’s job permanently appointive, the supervisors would have to put the question before the people at an election. They aren’t authorized to take the power to choose the auditor from the voters.
