Ailing Postmus talks
Flu-weary assessor gives interview; defends office
Article Launched: 07/10/2008 10:41:36 PM PDT

The call came in at 3:42 p.m. Thursday.

Bill would meet with us and answer questions about the latest scandal that he has become embroiled in.

At 4:30 p.m.

In 48 minutes.

When it comes to Assessor Bill Postmus, San Bernardino County's most provocative politician whose career may well be tied to his good friend and former assistant facing six felony charges of political corruption, this is just the way it goes.

Reporter Lauren McSherry and I raced down to his office, fearful that the interview would be canceled. It had been set for last Monday, but Postmus didn't come to work that day. Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday, for that matter.

Postmus greeted us in a hallway. He was unshaven, the flecks of light hair softening his ruddy face. Through a hoarse voice, he burst out an apology for making us wait a few minutes.

He mentioned having just gotten over "the four-day flu," and then he headed for a brief stop in the bathroom.

Standing with us was Ted Lehrer, the spokesman who has replaced Adam Aleman as Postmus' mouthpiece. Aleman is the 25-year-old former assistant assessor who resigned Tuesday because he faces charges of destroying evidence and altering documents sought by the county grand jury.

Lehrer looked tired as he ushered us into Postmus' conference room. It's attached to the assessor's personal office, which is filled with such photos as Postmus with President Bush and another with Vice President Cheney.

Postmus returned and joined us at the round table surrounded by soft, black leather chairs.

Over the next 30 minutes, he spoke rapidly, excitedly, while sometimes meandering in the conversation or not finishing sentences. Sometimes, he stuttered as he is prone to do when he gets nervous.

"I don't think Adam is a stain at all," Postmus declared when asked about recent comments by Paul Biane, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, who said that Aleman had stained the county's already tenuous reputation. "He was an excellent employee."

Postmus said he still considered Aleman a good friend but someone he speaks with - or messages by his ever-present Blackberry. He refused to discuss any aspect of the case involving Aleman, including why his assistant had destroyed Postmus' laptop in 2006 by yanking out the hard drive and disappearing with it.

The grand jury may have had some strong words about questionable, if not illegal activities going on in his office. But Postmus praised the members for their work. And then he said he believed "my office got a clean bill of health" from the grand jury.

I stopped him as he continued to speak. I repeated his words. Did he really mean that?

"Absolutely," he said firmly.

He blamed his troubles on Jim Erwin, another former assistant assessor who was employed for 10 months before having a falling-out with Postmus that led to his leaving with a six-month severance package.

Erwin, Postmus said, was spreading lies about his office and had steered the grand jury onto a political witch hunt that tore through his office.

And while Postmus said these days are "a real trying time for me personally," life was looking up.

"I'm feeling good today," Postmus said. "It's been a rough week for me and the office, and I think we're moving in the right direction."

With that, the interview ended. He excused himself for another trip to the men's room but instead sat at his desk and buried his face in his Blackberry.