San Luis Obispo County has terminated its contract with the interim county administrative officer (CAO) following an investigation of "improper conduct toward women."
John Nilon has served as the interim CAO since May 1 and is accused of violating the county's discrimination and harassment policy.
The county announced Friday following an hours-long closed-session meeting that the County Board of Supervisors decided to terminate its contract with Nilon, effective immediately.
“Our policy is clear and adherence to it is mandatory by all employees. The County has a zero-tolerance policy for any violations,” said Chairman John Peschong. “The County is committed to providing a work environment where everyone is treated with respect and professionalism. We expect all employees to adhere to the policy and expect our CAO to exhibit the best judgement when dealing with employees in the workplace.”
In a letter addressed Friday to Nolan and signed by Board Chairperson John Peschong, Peschong wrote that the closed-session was called “to hear charges or complaints brought against you by other persons or employees, and to consider whether discipline/dismissal/release was warranted.”
Peschong goes onto say that the decision to terminate Nilon was made after “consideration of all information presented.”
Nilon released a statement via email Friday evening, claiming he turned in his resignation on Wednesday. He called the Board's vote a "political stunt."
"I have never been presented with any written allegations of misconduct by anyone in the County, and as such, any comments by the Board or their representatives are entirely fabricated and have no basis in truth," Nilon said.
Nilon previously worked for the County of Kern for 32 years, serving eight years as the Kern County CAO until he retired in Feb. 2017.
His contract with the County of San Luis Obispo was for a minimum of three months while a nationwide search for a permanent replacement was underway.
The County says Assistant County Administrative Officer Rebecca Campbell will take over as acting CAO until a permanent replacement is selected.
Nilon’s termination is unrelated to an investigation underway involving a mid-level employee from the county’s IT department. The county announced earlier this week the employee was placed on leave after search warrants were served at their home and office “following an internal County-initiated investigation focused on the potential misuse of County funds for personal purchases.”
