Is there a Drought of Qualified Candidates to Represent Fullerton on the MWD?
For 21 years, Jim Blake has represented Fullerton on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District. He was appointed back when Reagan was President at the urging of Councilman Buck Catlin, and is supposed to help oversee MWD’s $2 billion annual operations, bringing and distributing Colorado River water into Southern California.
Blake’s re-appointment every 4 years has been rubber stamped by the city council, without interviewing other potential candidates. Why? Can anyone possibly believe he is the only qualified person in Fullerton to hold this position?
This must stop now. Special district members who have been on their boards too long end up representing the bureaucracy – even if they didn’t have this inclination to begin with. And Jim Blake has always been of this mindset. He has endorsed nothing but liberals and RINOs for Fullerton City Council – just the sort of people that slavishly support bureaucrats and are likely to reappoint him!
We need a new face at the MWD. Someone who can approach water issues with a new and independent perspective. Our next representative on this powerful 37 member board must be interviewed and thoroughly vetted by the council. Applications must be solicited from throughout the city.
The job of MWD Director is a demanding one without pay, with many trips up to its L.A. headquarters. No appointment should be rubber stamped. There are a lot of knowledgeable, talented people out there who need the opportunity to step up.
New blood, new ideas and new voices – let’s hear from them!
Don’t forget Blake’s affiliation with something called “the Fullerton Business Council” a collection of toadies and lackies whose job it is to back up city hall in all their grand misadventures.
I beat that guy for the council in 1992 and he was a million years old way back then – 17 years ago. Time for some new faces. Dinosaurs begone!
the fullerton business council morphed into fullerton positive
Fullerton should elect it’s own Mayor, that way at least someone could be held accountable for things gone wild.
I agree. Create a position to elect a Mayor like Santa Ana, Orange and Anaheim do, and have that position run every TWO years.
Then lets talk term limits for all electeds…let’s say no more than 12.
Frazier, I say do it the other way around. Or just forget about the mayor. Neither Santa Ana or Anaheim have a true executive mayor. Just another member of the council who gets to permanently preside over the meetings. Good for the ego but hardly astep to accountability. Just survey the mess that is Santa Ana and get back to us about Miguel Pulido’s accountability for anything!
If you want a truly executive mayor you’ll have to adopt a city charter.
Jim Blake is a stuffed shirt that provides a warm but for the seat and nothing else. Any one with tenure that long and a hint of carisma would be a known leader in the water industry. Jim Blake is the Don Bankhead of Met. They tolerate him, dont let him do anything important, and laugh about him behind his back.
Yes, I believe the city would need to adopt a charter before making any changes to our electoral laws. It might also be a good time to adopt some sort of ranked voting method for council members. Instant Runoff Voting or Single Transferrable Voting would eliminate the spoiler effect and insure that no one is elected with a small percentage of the vote.
“Jim Blake is the Don Bankhead of Met. They tolerate him, dont let him do anything important, and laugh about him behind his back.”
Only part true, Commish. They want people like Blake on the MWD Board. A perfect stooge.