Simi Mayor Declares Candidacy for County Auditor-Controller : Politics: Pledging tough fiscal management, Greg Stratton launches campaign against incumbent Thomas O. Mahon.

Saying that “business as usual is not good enough” when it comes to safeguarding taxpayer money, Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton on Monday formally declared his candidacy for Ventura County auditor-controller.

“The thrust of my campaign will be changing the role of the county auditor-controller to a more visible and responsive part of county management,” Stratton said.

Stratton, 47, is running for the $115,000-a-year post against appointed incumbent Thomas O. Mahon. Ventura accountant Scott A. Weiss is also considering a bid for the controller’s job, which is responsible for overseeing the county’s $836-million budget.

If elected, Stratton pledged to bring to his new position the same tough fiscal management style he has become known for as mayor of Simi Valley. He noted that during his 14 years on the City Council--the last seven as mayor--the city’s reserves have grown from $2 million to nearly $14 million.

“I think the city of Simi Valley is in excellent financial shape,” Stratton told reporters at a news conference at City Hall. “Unfortunately,” he said, “that’s not true” of the county or the state.

As auditor-controller, Stratton said he would crack down on bureaucratic agencies that waste millions of tax dollars through inefficiency. One such agency, he said, is the county’s Information Services Department, which spends $12 million a year on computer services.

“With my expertise in computers and software, I can go to the county and help save millions of dollars just in that one area alone,” said Stratton, director of the software department at Teledyne Systems in Chatsworth.

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But Mahon said that Stratton was speaking without knowing all the facts. Mahon said he did not know offhand how much the county spends on computer services, but insisted that such flagrant waste of taxpayer money is not occurring.

“I’m disappointed,” Mahon said in reference to Stratton’s statements. “As an auditor-controller, you don’t go around making statements you can’t prove.”

Stratton said that if elected, he would call for more audits of county departments. He said he would also make sure the $26 million generated each year from Proposition 172’s half-cent sales tax is used for law enforcement and fire protection, as intended by the voters who approved the ballot measure last November.

In December, Stratton proposed that a portion of the sales-tax money be used to pay Simi Valley’s share of the nearly $1 million in jail booking fees owed to the county. Ventura County and its cities have been waging a legal battle over the fees charged when suspects are arrested in a city and booked at the County Jail.

On Monday, Stratton said the sales-tax dollars should be used to restore cuts made in the county Sheriff’s Department and in the district attorney’s office. “The incumbent was prepared to see all of the new Proposition 172 money disappear into the bureaucracy and not give a dime for improved public safety,” he said.

But Mahon said it is up to the County Board of Supervisors to decide how to spend Proposition 172 money, not the auditor-controller. He said the only decision made so far regarding this money was to give $1.5 million to the Sheriff’s Department for increased patrols.

“He’s really criticizing the Board of Supervisors,” Mahon said. “We only provide information to the board. The decisions of what to do with the money is the prerogative of the board.”

Mahon said he would like to conduct more audits of county departments, but he doesn’t have the staffing because of cutbacks. He said audits now conducted by his office save the county on average about $1 million a year.

“We’re doing an outstanding job,” said Mahon, who was appointed by the Board of Supervisors last January to complete Norman R. Hawkes’ term after Hawkes retired. Mahon previously served as assistant auditor for nearly 20 years.

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Stratton pledged to spend as much as $100,000 on the campaign if necessary, a figure that Mahon has vowed to match. Among those who have endorsed Stratton are Simi Valley City Council members Bill Davis, Judy Mikels, Sandi Webb and Barbara Williamson, who is a candidate for county supervisor.

Other supporters include Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason, Thousand Oaks City Councilman and supervisorial candidate Frank Schillo and Santa Paula Mayor Wayne Johnson.