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Tony Linegar
By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sonoma County has hired an agricultural commissioner eight months after the county’s former top ag official was fired in what became an ugly and protracted legal battle.
Tony Linegar, 46, the current Mendocino County agricultural commissioner, will move south to take on the same role in Sonoma County. He is set to start in January.
The Board of Supervisors announced the hiring Tuesday at the beginning of its afternoon meeting.
Linegar praised county ag staff as “highly professional, capable people.”
“To be a part of that team is a great opportunity for me,” he said.
The hiring represents another step — and county leaders hope it is a final step — away from the embattled tenure of Cathy Neville, who was fired from the ag post in March for misconduct and incompetence after several employees reported that she acted erratically and disparaged them. Other county officials said Neville also did not show the necessary leadership on several high-profile agricultural initiatives.
Neville’s firing came eight months after she fired Amy Cooper, head of the Animal Care and Control Division, a decision that led later to the investigation of Neville’s leadership and the entire animal division being moved to a different department. Cooper has since been re-hired as the animal care manager.
Neville has appealed a superior court judge’s ruling that upheld the county’s decision to fire her.
Since May, the county’s top ag position has been held on a part-time basis by Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer. His contract will extend through the end of this year, a county spokesman said.
County officials said Linegar has more than 16 years experience in the field and brings expertise on agricultural pests and diseases and watershed issues. He has served in his current post since January, 2009 and has worked for Mendocino County since 2001.
Linegar, who worked with Shasta County from 1995 to 2001, has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Chico State University. His annual salary with Sonoma County will be $138,000.
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ML Carle- all the county departments are short of staff and in stress. Plenty of managers since none got laid off. Missing-rank and file employees.
More managers THE COUNTY DOES NOT NEED.
Where’s the mantra “get big government out of private enterprise” when we need it most? Let the Farm Bureau, FFA and 4H take care of the ag—the so-called “kids” can probably do a better job than the departed ag communishiner
Here is a thought.
Could we get along WITHOUT an Ag dept?
Yep. We could. Easily.
But, that kind of thinking goes against the massive, entrenched, do-as-little-as-possible gravy train of government think.
The only kind of agriculture in Sonoma County anymore are vineyards and those owners are perfectly able to perform their own research at their own cost for any and all problems.
Just another example of a government operation that is without genuine need except to keep the public payroll padded as much as possible.
To Concerned Citizen. You raise serious questions that we need answers to. Highly unlikely Animal Care and Control will go back to being watched over by the AG Commissioner. Those people got what they wanted.
Not sure why this position commands such a high salary. Where is the info on his pension and benefits? Bet those are obscene also.
This is a complicated job and someone has to do it. Wouldn’t you rather have someone experienced manage? The ag. office is already short handed and under stress.
Are any problems solved by adding yet another $100,000 plus employee? Can’t the middle-managers just take up the slack of Neville’s position? How much larger a bureaucracy do we really need? In a time of supposedly tight budgets, why are all these cash strapped governments constantly adding more and more $100,000 plus positions? Is this really needed? Why?
$138,000. Even half that could save a lot of dogs in county shelter.