Photo of Dick Ackerman courtesy of the FFFF Blog
Reportedly over 800 Orange County residents have sent in applications to become the next Orange County Clerk-Recorder. But will any of them really have a chance – or will the seat go to a political appointment?
Former State Senator Dick Ackerman and former State Assemblyman Chris Norby, both Republicans from Fullerton, could be the leaders of the pack. (Ackerman now lives in Irvine).
I am told that Ackerman will likely hire Laura Cunningham, who served as former Supervisor Bill Campbell’s Chief of Staff, if he gets selected to serve as Clerk-Recorder.
Will our Orange County Board of Supervisors pick a career politician or will they pick someone actually qualified for the job? You have to believe that it will be the former. That is too bad. I rather see someone experienced in the job, such as Hugh Nguyen, or Renee Ramirez, get selected.
Two of the current Supervisors are on the way out in 2014 – John Moorlach and Pat Bates. So they might vote for someone that can help them land their next political job. And Supervisor Janet Nguyen is angling to run for the 34th State Senate District in 2014 so she too will likely vote for someone who can scratch her back too.
That means Ackerman probably has the lead. Norby can’t raise money to save his life but Ackerman sure can.
The last time his name popped up was when he tried to lobby to sell the Orange County Fairgrounds to a bunch of insiders. Thank God that plot was foiled. His wife Linda lost to Norby a few years ago and slinked back to Irvine.
I suppose Ackerman would be no worse than the last career politician to serve as our Clerk-Recorder – Tom Daly, who now serves in the the 69th Assembly District. These people just don’t ever go away.
The smartest thing to do with this unit — to make it NON-political — would be to outsource it:
http://ocpoliticsblog.com/lets-rethink-the-county-clerk-recorders-office-before-filling-tom-dalys-position/.
If not Hugh Nguyen then maybe even Tom’s left hand lady, Renee Ramirez should fill the slot till the next election.
With all the document recording fraud taking place nationally there is a good and valid reason to not appoint someone like Ackerman who like Daly will just camp out there for 8 or 12 years and nothing will happen. No problems will be fixed. Fraud will continue.
If you want to know more about the forged assignments being recorded daily by the TBTF banks and their co conspirators check out the Livinglies blog.
Roy, the reason there needs to be an elected official is because employees do what they are told. Elected officials are supposed to do what’s right. It’s not always the same thing.
If an elected official, for instance is in charge of an office, and there is something funny going on he is supposed to put a stop to it. Direct his staff to not allow that. If necessary he might have to defend his actions in court, hiring counsel.
Like what I just posted, where TBTF banks and their mortgage servicers are recording forged and robosigned documents daily at the recorders office.
That is going on right now and it needs to be stopped.
Employees, or outsourced services never stick their neck out. Why? They are not ultimately responsible to their constituents like an elected official is supposed to be.
Why do we have an elected assessor? When Brad Jacobs was the elected assessor he wouldn’t do things that were illegal. He wouldn’t be involved in any schemes to raise assessments and taxes because he was “the independent arbitor of the value of property”. I suspect the current occupant of that office doesn’t have as strong a feelings. But the elected assessor, like the elected tax collector and the elected clerk recorder are ultimately responsible to their constituents.
Without that we’d just have staff, or even an outsourced contractor telling us what to do. We don’t want that! We want some pitiful amount of recourse!
That statement of Bradley Jacobs is from memory, it might not be exact. But that’s the gist of the quote.
The context was the state BOE staff was trying to increase values and thus taxes to back-fill the state budget. It was improper for him to be involved in pressure from the state to raise assessments.
He didn’t run for re-election stating that. I wish he had stayed and fought.