As many of you now know, Assessor Bill Postmus has announced his intention to resign next Friday. At around 2PM today, he sent a letter to the employees in his office, as well as sent a letter via his attorney to BOS Chair Gary Ovitt.

Shortly thereafter, the following statement was released (H/t to Senor Blogger over at iepolitics.com on this).

STATEMENT FROM SUPERVISOR GARY OVITT

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is in receipt of a letter from the Assessor dated February 6, 2009 announcing his intention to vacate his office on February 13, 2009.

I will continue to closely monitor the operations of the Assessor's office until a new Assessor is appointed. The removal process initiated by the Board of Supervisors will continue until the position of Assessor becomes vacant. At that point I will consult with special counsel and  determine which course of action the process should take.

Because the removal process is still under way, and because the Board of Supervisors acts as a quasi-judicial body in that process, the Board cannot hold any bias, which would include expressing opinions on the resignation announcement.

I commend my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors for their consistent efforts to do everything within the Board's power to hold the Assessor accountable. I also wish Bill Postmus the best in his future endeavors and truly hope he overcomes his problems. 

In accordance with the state's open meeting laws, I will not comment on what course of action the Board might pursue to address a vacancy in the Assessor's Office, as the law mandates that any such discussion occur in a properly noticed public meeting. I will bring an item before the Board at the appropriate time to receive a report from County Counsel on the Board's options under the County Charter and receive input from the Board on how to proceed.

In the meantime, I have the utmost confidence in Assistant Assessor Dennis Draeger's ability to manage the department.