On a sunny afternoon, in front of an enthusiastic Old Town crowd, Cheryl Dillingham finance manager for the city of Rio Dell officially announced that she would challenge incumbent Karen Paz Dominguez for the office of Humboldt County Auditor-Controller.
Everyone is on edge.
In recent conversations about county finances with officials, staff members and outside agencies, everyone chooses their words carefully, speaking with diplomacy to avoid inflaming an already volatile situation.
The tense atmosphere was apparent during the most recent meeting of the Humboldt County Audit Committee, an oversight group that was formed specifically to address rampant dysfunction in the county’s fiscal management, which has devolved into a slow-motion catastrophe of overdue reports, disgruntled county contractors, internal investigations and cross-departmental power struggles.
As you’ll read below, one department head recently told county supervisors she’s never been more worried about the state of the county’s finances. Staffers tell the