For the first time in decades, the battle for Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor is the political talk of the town.
Joe Holland, the incumbent, is facing a challenge from the No. 2 in charge, Melinda Greene. This battle, however, is not your typical political joust.
Holland has served for 24 years, but for the past 18 months, he has not worked in the office. He said he is suffering from a chronic illness and has been working remotely, communicating through text messages, phone calls and Zoom. Greene said the office, and the public, deserve a person in-house full time.
Greene and Holland talked about their campaigns in combined podcast interviews with “Santa Barbara Talks” and “Newsmakers with JR.” The two face off in the June 2 primary.
In the interview, Holland makes his case for a seventh term. He says that he communicates regularly with his team and that his lack of an on-site presence does not affect the organization. Still, all five members of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors have endorsed Greene. During the interview below, Holland experienced technical difficulties with his Zoom connection, and his screen was blurry.
Greene in the podcast said she would bring a greater sense of transparency to elections and improve staff morale. The leader of the department, she said, needs to be in the office. Holland in his interview says he will be back onsite soon after the election.
The department has a $22 million budget. Holland earns $275,511, and a benefits package worth $48,677. His annual pension is about $43,000.
Greene receives a salary of $220,205, county records show, plus a medical, pension and other benefits package of about $117,762, according to county records.
Check out the episode with Greene below:
Check out the episode with Holland here:
The News-Press will have a complete story on the contest later this week.
