Shasta Supervisor Crye accused of 'corruption' in hiring county counsel at $240,365 salary
Shasta Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Crye is taking criticism over his role in recruiting the county's next top legal adviser, who will be one of its highest-paid employees and is allegedly dating the manager of Crye's business.
The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 in December to hire Joseph Larmour as the county's fifth counsel in the past 12 months. Crye said he helped recruit Larmour, but when the issue came before the board he did not mention any other personal or professional connection to Larmour.
Crye's critics have said Larmour is dating the general manager of Crye's business, Ninja Coalition.
Three of the board's five supervisors thought enough of Larmour to pay him $240,365 a year and give him an additional $20,000 signing bonus and a $5,000 annual car allowance.
Larmour's annual pay will exceed the top end of the scale for the county counsel position, which maxes out at $234,600, according to the personnel department's salary schedule.
His annual salary, not including benefits, also is more than the sheriff and district attorney, who both operate departments with much larger staffs. Both also have more than twice the number of years experience in their professions.
Larmour had been in his previous job of county counsel in Yuba County only five months before being hired in Shasta County. He took over as county counsel in Yuba on Aug. 1, according to his contract there.
Larmour has a total of nine years experience working as an attorney for various counties, according to a report to the board prepared by Monica Fugitt, the county's director of support services.
Since Larmour's hiring, numerous posts popped up on social media noting his relationship to Crye's employee. The Facbook page of Crye's general manager also included several photos of her and Larmour together.
At a Jan. 9 board meeting, Jeff Gorder, who is heading up an effort to recall Crye from office, criticized the supervisor for not divulging his relationship to Larmour.
"I mean, this guy (Larmour) has been working for nine years as an attorney. He's going to be the highest paid attorney in the county. And the mystery appeared to me to be solved when I found out that he is dating Kevin Crye's general manager of the Ninja (Coalition) gym. I mean, tell me that's not right. Tell me I'm wrong. I mean, talk about corruption and outrageous lack of transparency," Gorder said to Crye, who was sitting on the dais.
"I mean, you're playing Jerry Maguire the promoter, not a responsible supervisor. Get it together," Gorder said.
When later asked about Larmour's relationship, Crye said in an email he would not discuss his employees.
"I played a role in recruiting Joseph Larmour for the position and explored other candidates, engaging with at least three other attorneys for the role. The hiring process, including selection details, was thoroughly discussed during a (board ) closed session. I am committed to maintaining a boundary between personal and professional matters and I will not engage in discussions about the personal lives of my friends, family, or employees. I am fully committed to the well-being of Shasta County and its residents, and I will continue to prioritize transparent and responsible governance," Crye said in a statement.
Crye did not respond to questions about whether his employee's alleged relationship to Larmour affected his decision to hire the attorney or the amount of money the county decided to pay him.
When asked about his connection to Crye's employee and whether they affected his hiring, Larmour replied in an email by saying only "the assertions made here have no basis in fact and are not true."
Supervisor Patrick Jones said in December, after voting to hire Larmour, the county had to increase the county counsel pay to compete with salaries offered by other counties and those in the private sector.
"This is one of those key positions where we've had a hard time recruiting. We have not gotten a lot of applicants," Jones said.
Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert, who voted against hiring Larmour, said when the issue came before the board, Crye did not divulge a relationship with Larmour. She said that since December she has heard from county residents who are concerned about the hiring.
She said Larmour was the only candidate interviewed for the job this past fall.
"I am very suspect of how this all played out," Rickert said. "I'm very disappointed on the lack of transparency on the part of chair Crye."
Yuba County spokeswoman Rachel Abbott said Larmour's annual wage could be found at Transparent California and on the county's salary schedule. Transparent California's most recent salary information was from 2022, when he worked as a deputy in the Yuba County counsel's office. That year he earned $172,586, according to the website.
Yuba County's current pay schedule lists a salary range for county counsel from $180,960 to $235,248 annually.
Transparent California, which obtains salary information from public agencies, showed the previous Yuba County Counsel, Michael Ciccozzi, was paid $227,235 a year in 2022. According to the California State Bar, Ciccozzi has been a lawyer since 1988. Larmour was admitted to the bar in 2012, according to the licensing agency.
Shortly after Larmour was hired in Shasta County, Yuba County Board of Supervisors Chairman Andy Vasquez Jr. told a Record Searchlight reporter he was not aware Larmour would be taking another job. But at the Yuba County supervisors' first meeting this year, on Jan. 9, the board met in closed session to evaluate the performance of its county counsel.
When the board emerged from its closed-door meeting, the announcement was made that Larmour would resign his job effective April 5 of this year. Larmour, who has been living in Redding, is expected to start his job in Shasta County on April 8, according to his contract.
Larmour's hiring was the most recent this past year where supervisors opted to replace a top county official and provide a salary well above the predecessor.
In October, the supervisors hired Dr. James Mu, who had not previously worked as a public health officer, to take over that job for the county. Mu will receive $222,264 annually, 14% more than the previous health officer, Karen Ramstrom, who earned $194,640 a year in 2022, according to Transparent California. Ramstrom was fired from her job in May 2022.
Read more: How Shasta County Health Officer Karen Ramstrom's job came under attack during the pandemic
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Supervisor Crye accused of 'corruption' in hiring new county counsel
