A real race

Longtime clerk-recorder faces a challenge

The race for Butte County clerk-recorder is unusual for a couple reasons. First, it comes on the heels of a county government feud in which incumbent Candace Grubbs received a letter of reprimand from the county’s chief administration officer, Paul Hahn, accusing her of creating a toxic workplace.

Additionally, for the first time in at least the last four elections dating back to 1998, Grubbs, who’s held her seat since 1986, is running against an opponent with name recognition. That opponent is Pamela Teeter, who works for the nonprofit agency Youth for Change and is married to District 5 Supervisor Doug Teeter.

In the 2002 primary, Grubbs faced a Magalia man named Don Illa and four years later went up against an Oroville woman named Linda Rhyne. In each race Grubbs captured 82.6 percent of the vote. She ran unopposed in 2010.

As for the Feb. 18 letter of reprimand, Hahn said that besides creating an uncomfortable workplace, Grubbs also improperly used an employee for personal work totaling 9.75 hours and equating to more than $300 in wages and benefits. The letter was based on the results of an investigation into the Clerk-Recorder’s Office at the request of County Counsel Bruce Alpert, who had become aware of the unease in the workplace through communication with Laurie Cassady, the longtime assistant clerk-recorder.

The summary of the investigation’s report reads: “At your request I conducted an investigation of the allegations made by Laurie Cassady with regard to how Candace Grubbs, as the Clerk-Recorder has treated Ms. Cassady and other employees in a disrespectful and discourteous manner. Ms. Cassady stated that Ms. Grubbs’ demeanor and conduct towards Ms. Cassady and other employees has created a high degree of stress both for herself and for other employees in the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.”

The report’s conclusion placed most of the blame on Cassady’s behavior. District Attorney Mike Ramsey reported in a press conference March 4 that a follow-up investigation by his office determined the employee had performed only a half hour of work for Grubbs, which added up to $17.34, and he held up a check Grubbs had written to the county for that amount.

Teeter announced her candidacy the day after the story hit the press.

The two faced off at a League of Women Voters candidates’ forum on April 24 in Chico. In her opening statement, Teeter said, “Elected offices are not meant to be long-term careers. They’re meant to foster the rotation of new leadership, fresh perspective, new thinking, new ideas.”

Grubbs defended her long stay in the office. “You can be in office or a position for one year and be stale or you can be in a position like mine and keep bringing innovative ideas and keep the office moving forward and in the most cost-effective manner, which I have,” she said.

When asked what major challenges the Clerk-Recorder’s Office faces, Teeter suggested getting word out to citizens on the role the office plays.

“These departments serve the county, they serve the residents, they serve the voters and obviously there seems to be a confusion or misunderstanding or lack of education in regards to what this department does for them,” she said.

Grubbs said that a general lack of understanding simply shows she’s doing her job.

“Pamela is correct,” she said. “People don’t know what our office does. They don’t think about it because it is functioning very well. The fact is, if you get married, if you have a baby born or someone dies in your family or you record a document because you bought or sold property, it all goes through that office. And, of course, you vote. So, when things are going well, they don’t quite understand; they just know that they work.”