O.C. power broker Roger Faubel
UPDATED: The SMWD is saying on their Facebook page that they have up to 60 days to appoint Faubel’s replacement, so we assume that McCusker won’t be coronated just yet…
The Santa Margarita Water District board will convene tomorrow (Friday, June 14, 2013) to appoint a new director after Roger Faubel resigned. According to the O.C. Register, “Increasing work obligations led Roger Faubel to resign from his post as president of Santa Margarita Water District’s board of directors with more than a year left on his term.”
The OC Weekly has reported that Faubel resigned due to conflicts of interest. That makes sense to me. He runs a Public Affairs consulting company! Putting a guy like that in an elected position is asking the fox to guard the hen house.
Faubel’s pal Justin McCusker
An inside soure reports that twelve candidates will give 5-minute presentations on why they are the most qualified, followed by public deliberations. All of this is only for show, according to my source. He predicts that the board will select Justin McCusker, co-chair of the OC Taxpayers Association PAC – which donates to the existing directors’ campaigns. Good old boy network shenanigans!
So who is this McCusker character? He apparently is a Vice Chairman at C.J. Segerstrom & Sons. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, as a Vice Chairman. And he is the Second Vice Chair at the OC Taxpayers Association. Both McCusker and Faubel also serve on the Advisory Board of the Orange County Public Affairs Association.
Will the Santa Margarita Water District’s Board of Directors put McCusker into his pal Fauble’s seat – and essentially blow off all of the other candidates? I bet they will, but now at least the cat is out of the bag. You do have to wonder if the old folks on the SM Water District’s Board have violated the Brown Act though, if they have already pre-ordained the selection of McCusker.
Considering the shenanigans described involving Faubel in San Juan Capistrano, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising, although one can only hope it won’t happen.
Just another hack from OCBA !