LAKE COUNTY — The Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday accepted the retirement letter of longtime County Administrative Officer (CAO) Kelly Cox, who plans to leave the department in mid-March.
“It”s a very difficult decision for me,” Cox said during the regular BOS meeting Tuesday morning at the Lake County Courthouse.
All the supervisors thanked Cox for his 32 years of service to Lake County.
“He epitomizes what it means to be a public servant,” District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said.
Some of the elected officials found it difficult to fully express their gratitude to Cox in anticipation of his upcoming retirement.
“I don”t even have any words to describe how hard this is,” District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing said.
“There”s no words for it; we know you deserve it,” BOS Chair Rob Brown added.
The BOS unanimously voted to accept the retirement request and directed staff to begin open recruitment for a new CAO.
“We”re not going to get another Kelly Cox in this job,” Rushing said.
In his retirement memo, Cox suggested it would “ultimately be beneficial for Lake County to have new energy and new ideas.”
He later added, “I sincerely hope that whomever you appoint as my successor will do such a great job that you will wish I had retired years ago.”
That person will have the task of replacing a man who spent more than 30 years as head of county administration.
Cox said he began working for the department at 24 years old, soon after receiving a master”s degree in public administration. He said he stepped into the lead role about a year later after the then-CAO left the position.
Cox estimated working with 23 supervisors, more than 100 department heads and hundreds of other county employees.
“The friendships I have made both within county government and in the community will continue for the rest of my life,” he stated in his letter.
Cox listed developing structurally balanced budgets, acquiring the Lucerne Hotel, renovating the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum and purchasing Mount Konocti among his favorite county projects during his 32 years.
“My genuine love of Lake County and respect for public service makes me want to continue working indefinitely, but I know that sooner or later everyone has to retire and all things considered, I believe now is the right time for me to do so,” Cox wrote.
He selected March 16 to be his last day in county employment, a date the BOS approved Tuesday.
Cox said he plans to initially take some time to rest, travel and work on home projects before continuing to serve the Lake County community as an active volunteer.
“I have enjoyed my job more than words can express and will be eternally grateful for having had the opportunity to serve this great county for so many years,” he stated.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
