Tulare County supervisors appoint Jason T. Britt to take over for Mike Spata as new county administrative officer in December
@TheSunGazette
VISALIA – Tulare County’s top job was up for grabs, but just for a little while as Jason Britt was the overwhelming favorite to take over for current county administrative officer (CAO) Mike Spata on Dec. 1. Britt has served in a number of senior management positions since 1994 with the County’s Health & Human Service Agency, including Director of Human Services, Director of Public Health, and Agency Director.
And Britt’s longevity in the County counted for a lot when the Board of Supervisors, plus supervisors-elect Eddie Valero and Dennis Townsend, all agreed that he was the best of the six candidates who were considered.
“We had a great bunch and Jason was the last one. And I thought how are we going to narrow this down. There were so many good interviews and we could have been there for hours. He just blew it out of the water and I didn’t think it was possible. It just goes to show he understands the issues and he knows what needs to happen,” Supervisor Kuyler Crocker said.
“We are very pleased to have such a highly qualified internal candidate and are confident Jason will do a superb job in the role as our CAO,” stated Tulare County Board of Supervisors Chairman, Steve Worthley. “His man, Steve Worthley. “His strong background in streamlining government programs and management makes Jason the ideal candidate for the position.”
As CAO, Britt will be responsible for preparing the County’s annual budget, implementing policies set by the Board of Supervisors and handling the day-to-day business of the County.
“I am honored by the confidence the Board of Supervisors has in my ability to work with the various departments and agencies to deliver effective and efficient services,” stated Britt.
Britt is a lifelong resident of Tulare County. He holds a Master of Science in Leadership from South University and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College. For supervisor Amy Shuklian, Britt’s experience in the County was a major factor for her yea vote.
“Like I said before Jason has grown up in the County and worked his way up to Director of the Health and Human Services Agency. He knows the county front and back. He’s a very smart guy knows budgets, funding, grant funding and all the regulations. I’m looking forward to him starting,” Shuklian said.
Crocker felt similar about the CAO to be, and realizes that his County experience cannot be underrated.
“It’s a great story. He’s from Poplar. He knows his stuff and he’s active on statewide issues and regional issue. He’s well respected within the county family, he’s straight forward when it comes to difficult issues and he has had to deal with a lot of difficult issues and he’s managed them every well,” Crocker added.
While she has only been on the Board for a short time, Shuklian says Spata had managed to find room in the budget for projects and interests she cares about.
“Certainly, the parks. He knew that was something that was neglected in the past and there was some money reflected in the budget with an increase in the budget for that. Also just in recent months, I’ve talked to him about the homeless issue and in this last adopted budget he made sure there was money to support homeless programs,” Shuklian added.
