SLO County's top administrator to resign 

San Luis Obispo County will soon be losing its top official.

In a surprise move, SLO County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Wade Horton submitted his resignation on March 21 during a closed session meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

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• File Photo Courtesy Of SLO County
• RESIGNATION Wade Horton, SLO County government's top administrator since 2017, is leaving his post, effective May 1.

Horton, who's been at the helm of the county organization and its 2,800 employees since 2017, will stay on the job through May 1, according to a county announcement. The county plans to launch a nationwide search for his replacement.

"It has been an absolute privilege to serve the board, organization, and residents of SLO County," Horton said in a press release about his departure. "I am proud of all we have accomplished together, and I am thankful for the many opportunities the county has afforded to make a difference in our community alongside a talented staff, and so many incredible partners from local government, business, education, and our nonprofit community."

Horton did not state why he decided to resign and declined to provide further comment to New Times. A performance evaluation for Horton was on the Board of Supervisors' March 21 closed session agenda, but two county supervisors told New Times that Horton submitted his resignation before it happened.

"I was surprised," 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson said, "especially since we were in the process of conducting an evaluation. And before we got to it, actually, he decided to resign. I can't really speak to his thinking on that."

Gibson and 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding both noted that Horton "voluntarily chose" to put his performance evaluation on the March 21 agenda. Gibson said he supported that, adding that past boards used to evaluate the CAO's performance annually, but it hadn't happened in several years.

"It's standard business," Gibson said. "It was going to be a wide-ranging discussion. We have a new board majority. We have a new approach to governance. We have a whole set of challenging issues before us. Having a check-in as to the state of our organization is absolutely the right thing to do."

Fifth District Supervisor Debbie Arnold, a member of the board's conservative minority, called Horton's exit "a great loss to the county." Arnold said she's admired Horton's leadership since he served as the county's public works director before his promotion to CAO.

"I've never worked with anyone more dedicated to the well-being of this county," Arnold said. "He wasn't political. I appreciated his honesty. We didn't always agree, but I had total confidence in Wade."

Arnold said that when she saw his performance evaluation on the board's agenda for March 21, she knew "something was wrong."

"When I saw that, I was concerned," she said.

In his five-plus years as CAO, Horton steered SLO County through an array of crises and challenging circumstances, including multiple FBI investigations, the COVID-19 pandemic, former 3rd District Supervisor Adam Hill's suicide, intense political division, and, most recently, a destructive set of winter storms.

Through it all, 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said, Horton "kept the boat upright."

"We are all very sad to see him go," Ortiz-Legg said. "He has been through some very difficult times. ... He was very dedicated."

County supervisors declined to disclose further details from the closed session meeting or speculate as to why Horton resigned.

The county is currently in the midst of a transition to a new, liberal-leaning board majority comprising Gibson, Ortiz-Legg, and Paulding, who have set a new agenda and direction for the county. Gibson brushed off rumors that he or the new board majority instigated Horton's exit and expressed appreciation for his years of service.

"He accomplished a lot in five-plus years, when you think about what we as a county went through," Gibson said. "He came in at a very difficult time, worked with a challenging board, and I'm grateful he was there."

The board will discuss the soon-to-be-vacant CAO position, and its next steps, at future meetings.

"We've got some different options, but I think it's likely we'll end up with someone taking the helm as an interim," Gibson said. "We've got a budget. We've got a lot of stuff to do. And we want to be thoughtful about choosing our next CAO." Δ