Beginning November 15 and running through November 30, the Association will be holding the election for the OCMA 2016 Board of Directors.
Three seats are up for election, two incumbents are running for re-election and one seat (with a one-year term of office) is open. Below are the statements of the Candidates who wish to serve on your Board.
On November 15th, you will receive an e-mail (provided you have a current personal e-mail on file with OCMA) with voting instructions, so please review the attached statements and vote.
Donna Grubaugh – HCA
In my 18 years of employment with the County of Orange, I have affected program change and protected assets by working with Federal and State officials and management to develop and implement County legislation. I have established a significant amount of expertise in this area. For this reason, I believe my experience is specifically suited to work with the OCMA Board and its membership. My focus is to collaborate with County Supervisors and management to protect total compensation for the Administrative Management staff in the County of Orange. I respectfully request the OCMA Board membership consideration of my involvement in these strategic efforts.
Brian Johnson – Probation
I have been with the County of Orange since 1993 and a manager for more than 10 years. Like you, my peers, I recognize the critically important leadership role played by county managers and like you, I see that we are continually asked to do more and sacrifice more without reasonable adjustments to compensation and benefits. I want to help! Our board works hard to represent us and I want to lend a hand to make sure that our collective voices are heard by the county. I ask for the opportunity to serve every member of the Orange County Manager’s Association as your board representative.
David Brock (incumbent) – OCPW
As your current Vice-President I have negotiated tirelessly on your behalf over the course of the last 22 months. If you believe I have represented your interests well then I would appreciate your continued support. Please vote for David Brock.
Melissa Tober (incumbent) – HCA
It has been my honor to serve on the OCMA Board these last two years and I am seeking your vote to continue to represent all of the Orange County Managers for the next two years.
We are nearing the end of the MOU negotiations and have been working long and hard to get the best outcome for our membership. I have used my financial and negotiating skills and experiences to bring value analyses to the OCMA negotiating table to eliminate or minimize the impact of the County’s demands.
The work of the OCMA Board in the next couple of years will continue as we shape the new management classification system and the new evaluation system replacing the P4P program.
I pledge to use my passion for hard and thoughtful negotiation in these next endeavors to ensure all managers receive fair and appropriate consideration.
Jeff Corp – Probation
I have been an Orange County employee for 32 years and have served 16 of those years as a manager. Due to this experience, I have witnessed and clearly understand what managers have endured for many, many years.
– The chronic, inequitable and unfair treatment that occurred for decades and resulted in the formation of OCMA, one of the very few representation units for county MANAGERS.
– The relatively testy initial negotiations following the establishment of OCMA’s Memorandum of Understanding.
– The continued general lack of respect and/or appreciation for the consistent dedication and professionalism displayed by Orange County managers.
– The repeated disrespect exhibited towards OCMA during bargaining over the past ten years: reneging on agreements; accepting OCMA’s concessions as “good faith” sacrifices only to disregard them in future bargaining; Establishing various “pay-for-performance” evaluation systems and subsequently not funding them adequately, or not at all.
I have worked collaboratively with many agency managers and I KNOW how hard-working and loyal most are. It saddens me that Orange County managers are seemingly under appreciated and taken for granted all-too-often. I am especially concerned about younger managers who are called upon to contribute more of their time and their paychecks while experiencing little increase in compensation over the years.
I will proudly, vigorously and ethically represent OC managers if elected to serve on OCMA’s Board. Thank you.
Oscar Garza – OCWR
Hello, my name is Oscar Garza and I’m running for the OCMA Board Directors. It was an honor and a privledge to have served previously on the OCMA board for 8 years.
I joined the Board of Directors initially because I wanted to expand my involvement beyond the responsibilities of a member. I have more than 20 years of experience working on nonprofits boards and wanted to contribute my experience to the organization so it could continue to serves its membership at the highest level it has.
I believe that honesty and accountability in an employee representative are absolutely essential, and that detailed information regarding OCMA Board activities should be made available to employees.
This is my continuing pledge to you.
With your vote, we can make a difference!
Scott Dessort – OCPW
Hello, my name is Scott Dessort and being a thirteen-year employee of the County of Orange I have a vested interest in seeing our working conditions continue to improve. I want to commend our current Board of Directors for showing leadership by negotiating hard and showing a clear unwillingness to simply settle for more of the crumbs that our group has been given in recent years.
An unexpected resignation earlier this year has left a vacancy on our Board, which I would very much like to fill. Knowing personally two of the current Board members, I can attest to you that not only do I agree with the direction and tactics being used, but you have my word that I will work with great zeal to continue this progress.
If you empower me with your vote, I will do everything but the impossible to represent your interests and achieve our common goals. Thank you for your vote.
Shawn Small – Probation
I am a 25 year employee of the County, the last 14 years of which as a manager with increasing levels of responsibilities and positions. Having been a manager prior to OCMA, I personally witnessed the need to create a bargaining unit specific to managers, and as such have been a member since OCMA’s inception and have been participating as the ad hoc safety manager representative during the last two negotiations. As a senior manager in Probation, I bring significant experience in addressing complex, multi-faceted legal issues in highly technical and adversarial environments. Additionally, I have spent the last six years working within and leading a large professional association at both the regional and state levels. Given the decreasing public sentiment and increasing attacks on employees’ benefits and working conditions, particularly as it relates to managers, as an OCMA Board of Director I would use my experience and skills to vigorously address ongoing manager challenges and goals.