Editor’s Note: This questionnaire is part of an ongoing series publishing candidates’ opinions on how they would run the government if they were elected county supervisor. All questionnaires are archived on the Voice of OC Elections Page.
Orange County hasn’t had a permanent CEO in nearly three years, and county supervisors are still searching for someone to take over the top job guiding a $10 billion bureaucracy.
Right now, the county is being run by KC Roestenberg, their former head of IT who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix, has no experience running a bureaucracy as large as the County of Orange and has additionally said he plans to retire once supervisors find his replacement.
He succeeded former CEO Michelle Aguirre, the county’s former budget manager who initially agreed to take on the job for one year while supervisors searched but ultimately ended up serving for two years after supervisors tried and failed to find a candidate they could agree on.
Aguirre took over after former CEO Frank Kim served in the position for nine years, who was also an internal hire from the county budget department after supervisors couldn’t agree on a replacement to former CEO Tom Mauk, who resigned in the wake of the Carlos Bustamente sex abuse scandal.
While county supervisors work full time and regularly meet with department heads, the county CEO oversees day to day operations for all the county departments and has a key role in helping craft the annual budget.
We asked candidates for county supervisor what they were looking for in a new CEO and whether they would support making the CEO an elected position instead of one that shifts at the whims of supervisors.
Orange County has cycled through a series of CEOs since Frank Kim’s exit in Jul. 2024. What are you looking for in a county CEO?
Dixon, Fifth District: Orange County needs an experienced CEO who understands complex budgets, can manage a large organization and is willing to make tough decisions. Just as important, the CEO needs to be independent and willing to tell the Board when something is wrong, even when that is not what a supervisor wants to hear. We need someone who will demand accountability, ask tough questions and bring stability and confidence back to the management of county government.
Foley, Fifth District: I want a strong, ethical leader with good communication skills who values transparency, experience managing a large California county, sound financial judgment, and the ability to navigate Sacramento and Washington. Our reliance on state and federal funding makes that experience essential. We also need someone willing to ask difficult questions, identify problems early, and earn the trust of employees and residents.
Shaw, Fourth District: I would look for an experienced administrator with unquestioned integrity, strong financial management skills and the ability to manage a large and complicated organization. The CEO needs to be able to tell five elected supervisors what they need to hear, not simply what they want to hear. The CEO should also establish clear expectations for department heads, insist on accountability and provide the Board with accurate information early enough to make informed decisions.
Traut, Fourth District: I want an ethical, experienced professional manager who understands large public organizations, budgeting, labor relations, and crisis management; can recruit an excellent executive team; communicates candidly with the public; and is willing to give supervisors independent advice, including advice we may not want to hear. Stability and integrity have to be priorities.
What do you consider the role of the county CEO to be?
Dixon, Fifth District: The Board of Supervisors should set policy and establish priorities and the CEO should be responsible for implementing budgeted priorities and managing the day-to-day operations of the county. The CEO should oversee departments, manage the budget, make sure taxpayer dollars are being spent properly and hold department leaders accountable with specific operational goals and parameters. The CEO also needs to be willing to raise concerns when something is not working. Supervisors should provide oversight, but they should not be micromanaging departments or directing individual contracts and spending decisions.
Foley, Fifth District: The Board sets policy, and the CEO must carry it out through responsible budgeting, effective management, and transparent communication. The Andrew Do scandal underscored the need for strong oversight and prompt disclosure of problems. Supervisors should not first learn about serious County issues from the press. The CEO must give the entire Board timely, complete information, hold departments and contractors accountable, and ensure residents can understand how we spend their money.
Shaw, Fourth District: The Board of Supervisors establishes policy and is accountable to the voters. The CEO’s job is to professionally administer that policy and manage county operations. A strong CEO should coordinate departments, oversee the budget, identify problems before they become crises, manage senior staff and provide supervisors with objective professional advice. Supervisors should set policy and hold management accountable without trying to personally manage every county department.
Traut, Fourth District: The CEO should be the County’s professional chief administrator, not a sixth supervisor. The CEO should implement Board policy, manage departments and executives, oversee the budget, identify risks, improve organizational performance, and give the Board accurate, independent advice. Supervisors set policy and provide oversight; the CEO should professionally execute that direction.
What do you think needs to be done differently to find a long term CEO?
Dixon, Fifth District: We need to understand why previous searches have not produced a long-term CEO and be willing to change the process. I would look both inside and outside county government for experienced candidates and make clear that the CEO will have the authority to manage a $10.5 billion county operation. The Board also needs to agree on what it expects from the CEO before beginning another search. A qualified candidate should know whom they report to, what is expected of them and that they will be given the opportunity to do the job.
Foley, Fifth District: We need to demonstrate that this Board can work together for the County’s benefit regardless of political party. A strong CEO needs clear expectations, consistent direction, and room to exercise professional judgment.
Shaw, Fourth District: The Board needs to decide what it expects from the position and conduct a serious, professional search based on those qualifications. Candidates also need confidence that they will have the Board support necessary to manage the organization. I would favor a competitive search with clear qualifications, appropriate public transparency and an emphasis on finding someone who intends to provide stable, long-term leadership.
Traut, Fourth District: The Board first needs agreement on what it expects from the position, then a disciplined national recruitment with a clear timeline and defined qualifications. We should seek candidates with proven executive, financial, and organizational leadership, while reducing political micromanagement that could discourage strong applicants. The goal should be a CEO empowered to stay and lead.
Do you think any reform is needed to the structure of county government, such as an elected CEO or adding more county supervisors?
Dixon, Fifth District: I am open to looking at reforms, but I would need to be convinced that changing the structure of county government would solve the problems we have seen. The Andrew Do scandal exposed serious failures in oversight and accountability. Before creating a new elected position or adding supervisors, I would want to know how it would improve county government and what it would cost taxpayers. My first priority would be to strengthen accountability and make the current system work as it should.
Foley, Fifth District: More than reforming the organizational structure, we need to recruit and identify a new CEO who will give longevity to the county. Expansion requires careful consideration and evaluation, including evaluating the costs and benefits for representation. Our districts are already smaller than State Senate and congressional districts. Even after Los Angeles County expands its Board, each supervisor will represent more than a million residents, far more than the roughly 670,000 I represent. These are not topics under consideration now.
Shaw, Fourth District: I am open to discussing structural reforms, but changing the structure of government should not be treated as a substitute for improving how the existing government operates. Before creating another elected office or expanding the Board, I would want to see evidence that the proposed change would improve accountability, representation or efficiency and understand what it would cost taxpayers. Structural changes should ultimately be judged on whether they make county government work better for residents.
Traut, Fourth District: I am not convinced an elected CEO would improve County government; it could further politicize a position that should remain professional and administrative. I am open to objectively studying whether five supervisors adequately represent more than three million residents, but structural changes should solve a demonstrated problem, not simply create additional elected offices.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
