Observations on a continuing crisis

The weeks ahead promise only a bumpy road of open and unprecedented warfare between Corpus and the county government, embodied by the sheriff in County Executive Mike Callagy. It is a moving target, best served, I suppose, and for the moment, by observations about continuing turmoil.

CALLING OUT CALLAGY: Corpus’ focus on Callagy, which included accusations he was bullying her and that he has overreached in his efforts to control the Sheriff’s Office, bypasses a basic political reality: He is representing the Board of Supervisors. Corpus has barely referenced board members — she said Sunday, board members have not contacted her. It should be noted, she has singled out Supervisor Ray Mueller when he accused her of a retaliatory firing of an undersheriff. But it is highly unlikely Callagy is acting without the full support of the board. This creates practical and political problems for Corpus as the crisis unfolds. More on that down below.

IS WARFARE TOO STRONG? The numerous combative comments from Corpus came as a surprise in a county where the natural tendency is to tone down rhetoric and downplay disputes. She repeatedly called Callagy’s involvement in the workings of the Sheriff’s Office “dirty politics.” The vote of no-confidence by the office’s rank-and-file was “nothing more than a political stunt.” She labeled the statement by Mueller as an effort to seek publicity that was “inappropriate, unprofessional and needs to stop.” And the repeated sentence that got political insiders buzzing: “The coach picks the team. Period.”

THE COUNTY FUNDS THE TEAM: The sheriff is an independently elected officeholder, which, clearly, is at the heart of Corpus’ “hands off” rhetoric. But the board, as represented by Callagy, has the power of the purse. It controls Corpus’ budget; it can approve or zero out any initiative she wishes to undertake. This includes funding for the chief of staff position held by Victor Aenlle, the object of the investigation into formal personnel complaints. Among Corpus’ critics, he is seen as unqualified and the source of most of the unhappiness with the management of the office.

In an interview with me Sunday evening following her news conference, Corpus was unwavering in her confidence and support of Aenlle, whom she described as “intelligent, driven, a hard worker” and someone she trusts entirely. For the sake of the permanent record, Aenlle has a resume that is shot through with credentials for his job, including several years as a reserve deputy sheriff with the county, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a master’s degree in organizational leadership and a doctorate in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on ethical and creative leadership.

I AM WOMAN: Repeatedly, Corpus has asserted that the attacks on her management are because she is a woman in a profession long dominated by men. This would include the implication that she is under the undue influence of Aenlle. Corpus said in the interview that she “inherited an organization that was upside-down” and that “every step I’ve taken has been met with resistance. … I’m fighting the old boys’ system.”

There is another element to this controversy that bubbles in the background, and which Corpus brought into the open at her Sunday news conference — that she and Aenlle are romantically involved. This rumor has percolated since the 2022 campaign; no one who has raised this issue with me has provided any proof that the two are more than very close colleagues.

On Sunday, Corpus expressed outrage that Callagy, after she won the election, “Told me that I had to inform him of when and who I dated within the county — a request I found not only offensive but demeaning and discriminatory.”

In the subsequent interview, I asked Corpus if she was having an affair with Aenlle. She, in turn, asked me if I would have posed a similar question to a male sheriff. “I have faced this my entire career,” she said. All it takes is for her to sit next to a man at lunch to start tongues wagging, she said. It is an implied, not an unequivocal, denial, I suppose, but there is an undeniable hint of sexism in the ongoing assertion that Corpus is not fully in charge of her own office, and that if Aenlle were gone, everything would be better.

THE BUCK STOPS HERE: It is an undeniable fact the turnover in the top ranks of the Sheriff’s Office is among personnel she brought in from other departments. That these hires did not work out is the sheriff’s prerogative, but also her responsibility.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.