LAKEPORT, Calif. – Two individuals – one a longtime county staffer and another a newcomer to the area – have been appointed to top posts with the county of Lake.

Emerging from a closed session discussion at its Tuesday meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted to appoint Denise Pomeroy as interim Health Services director and Robert Massarelli as the new head of the Community Development Department.

Board Chair Rob Brown praised both Pomeroy and Massarelli as outstanding individuals.

Pomeroy – currently the fiscal officer for Health Services – will be interim director beginning on July 6, according to County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.

Longtime Health Services Director Jim Brown will retire in July, county officials reported.

Huchingson and Rob Brown said the board chose to appoint Pomeroy on an interim basis while the county explores the possibility of creating a “super agency” by combining the Behavioral Health, Health Services and Social Services departments.

In an April interview, Huchingson said that model of a “health and human services” agency is used in 25 California counties. She said she expected that analysis to take at least a few months.

Massarelli will begin work on June 13, Huchingson said.

He is coming from Florida, and will bring with him a wealth of experience that he's gained in projects around the world, said Brown.

“He's sharp,” Brown added.

Brown said Massarelli has experience on lake-related issues, having worked in the Everglades area of Florida, and also has worked on projects overseas.

According to Massarelli's resume, he has worked on projects from Saudi Arabia to China, and formerly was a principal technologist of master planning for CH2M Hill.

He's held government positions and worked for private companies across the United States, and has a lengthy list of publications on water and planning to his name.

According to Brown, Massarelli said he was looking for a “small project” to work on for the next several years, and Lake County fit the bill.

He will arrive at a critical time for Lake County's Community Development Department, which includes planning and code enforcement divisions.

The agency has reportedly been taxed in keeping up with the rebuilding effort related to the Valley fire, as south county residents begin working their way through the permitting process to replace or repair their homes. An estimated 1,300 homes were destroyed and more than 1,900 structures altogether in the fire in September.

Brown said the board was delighted to get Massarelli and the extensive experience he brings for the Community Development post.

“I've got a real good feeling about this guy,” Brown added.

The appointments of Pomeroy and Massarelli are the latest hires made by the board as it has addressed a recent wave of retirements and resignations involving about 30 percent of the county's 21 department heads, as Lake County News has reported.

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