The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously appointed Ron Roberts as chairman at the panel's first meeting of the new year.
Roberts, who succeeded Supervisor Bill Horn, was second in line in the board's usual rotation for the post.
Supervisor Dave Roberts — who was first — announced several months ago he would decline a nomination.
Dave Roberts didn't provide an explanation at the time, but Tuesday cited last year's staff resignations that created turmoil in his office. His colleagues in September settled claims by three of his former staffers that he misused his powers for $310,000.
He also said he recently gained his sixth adoptive child and became legal guardian of an adult autistic cousin whose mother died of cancer. He also expects to spend a lot of time representing the San Diego region as first vice president of the California State Association of Counties.
"The time commitment with CSAC is very extensive," Dave Roberts said.
Went unsaid is that he also faces a tough reelection campaign this year against North County mayors Sam Abed of Escondido and Kristin Gaspar of Encinitas.
Ron Roberts made no comment about his appointment, but joined his colleagues in praising Horn for last year's focus on improving county services to veterans.
He gave Horn a DVD of the authoritative British World War II documentary series "The World at War," and a book about that conflict's Battle of the Bulge.
Ron Roberts also gave Horn a doormat in the shape of a football with a Chargers' bolt logo.
