At its Tuesday, Dec. 17 meeting, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Deputy County Administrative Officer Tony Shaw as the new County Administrative Officer to succeed retiring CAO Richard Egan. Shaw will assume the duties of CAO on Sunday, Dec. 29. Prior to the discussion, Egan expressed his approval, stating that the board made a good decision by choosing Shaw, describing him as the right person for the job at the right time.
Egan also commented that the compensation included in Shaw’s contract, which was negotiated by county counsel and presented to the supervisors, seemed too low. Although he did not participate in the negotiations, Egan highlighted that executive officers at other governmental entities had much higher salaries. He urged the board to consider the salaries recently negotiated with the LMUD general manager, the city of Susanville city manager, and the Lassen Community College president, which were all significantly higher. During the meeting, Egan mentioned that the LMUD’s general manager’s gross salary is $265,000 with a guaranteed 10 percent raise each year, the city manager earns $221,000, and the college president earns $240,000.
Shaw explained that he arrived at the requested salary of $184,163.20 by reviewing CAO salaries in the state’s 17 smallest counties and those represented by Trindel, which were much higher. He also noted that he would receive a 5 percent yearly salary increase, similar to other county employees. District 2 Supervisor Gary Bridges praised Shaw as one of the fairest people working for the county. District 1 Supervisor Chris Gallagher proposed modifying Shaw’s contract to increase his salary to more than $192,000 per year, which the board agreed to. Shaw acknowledged the high and complex responsibility he was assuming and expressed his desire to earn more money.