Okay, Seriously. Why The 72nd Election Matters
We considered ourselves pretty much hopelessly cynical. Most local elections don’t seem to matter much, at least here in OC. The choices are determined in Repuglican primaries between various assorted mixed nuts with more ambition than brains; people whom you wouldn’t hire to walk your dog. People of no real ability but a crafty sort of skill at ferreting out the main chance – for themselves. Remember Duvall? Bulldozer Daucher? Every council election gives birth to a new litter.
But this time it really is different.
Chris Norby is not perfect. A long way from perfection – like most of us. But his political attributes far outweigh his liabilities. He is a rock-solid conservative who has fought for property rights against the incursion of government depredations for decades. At the County he has opposed pension spikes, PLAs, and other policies that unreasonably raise the cost of government to the people who pay for it – us.
As a city councilman in Fullerton Norby time and time again had to stand alone in a lonely fight against the boondogglery of the Redevelopment Agency and completely incompetent affordable housing schemes – foisted on us by his colleagues. You see, Chris put the welfare of the City ahead of foolish collegiality with the rest of the council and with staff. He never forgot that it is the city manger who works for the council – not the other way around. Unlike his fellows on the council he never came to identify himself with the bureaucracy at the expense of his constituents. Remember the Utility Tax?
There is a reason a billionaire like Ed Roski Jr. dislikes Norby so much and is willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to attack him. It’s because Norby is one of the few elected officials in California who has stood up to fight the redevelopment abuses that create sham cities like “Industry” where Roski rules over his supposedly democratic realm in effective majesty.
So what can Norby do in Sacramento? He can fight the California Redevelopment Association by forging a coalition of Democrats and republicans who are tired of seeing the little guys get pushed around by auto dealers and big box corporate welfare artists. He can fight for equitable sales tax distribution to eliminate internecine tax wars between neighboring cities. As a former teacher he can bring his own experience to bear on education problems instead of relying on party cliches. And as a true fiscal conservative he can fight for the interests of the taxpayers.
His Republican opponent? An empty suit of clothes wheeled around one afternoon in front of a cameraman in poses hardly any more credible that her claimed business experience. A sham candidate imported from another district by forces of pecuniary interest who think nothing is wrong in creating a tax-free, charitable organization whose only mission is to arrange free Hawaiian vacations for legislators.
The Republican Party of Orange County has been run by a relatively small gang of manipulators and political profiteers. Almost all of them have come out in support of a woman who doesn’t even live in the district, and whose entire campaign is a fraud; and lots of small fry local electeds have followed suit, believing as they do that their main chance belongs with the Gang. Maybe they are right. But Tuesday, a message of bad news may be delivered. The Gang has never trusted or accepted Norby. Maybe a Norby victory against their hollow candidate will send the message that their days are numbered. Let’s hope they are.
Well said!
Agreed – the local hacks are a sickening lot – Probloba the Hutt and Matt “Attack Molestation Victims” Cunningham, Schroeder and countless other middlemen, lobbyists, consultants, and pollsters are the poison in the rest of the political punch. Hopefully voters will start punishing candidates that are promoted and showcased by these grotesquely unscrupulous swine. Go Norby.
Glad you mentioned Cunningham. Now he’s whoring for the fairgrounds sale:
http://www.redcounty.com/oc-fair-grounds-whose-ox-will-be-gored-a-sale?taxonomy=29
Not a word about Dick Ackerman’s role as an illegal lobbysit for the insider claque. How typical is that!
Hey, it’s Gutless Joe Sipowicz! You still haven’t taken me up on that invitation to call me. Not that I’m surprised — much safer to hurl spitballs over here with the rest of the anklebiters.
Joe, you’re stupid, in addition to being gutless — else you would have noticed that nowhere did I say I favor selling the fairgrounds.
Gutless? Okay, see you at Norby’s party.
Just kidding. I am not letting Joe go.
Now matt wants to take converstions “offline”.
Gutless? If there was a place to post all the puss-outs Matt’s had, it would be thicker than Urell’s black book.
Kick his ass Joe.
kenlaysbraindead:
I’m not advocating taking anything off-line.
I have a standing invite to Joe to call me is he has any questions about where i stand on something, etc. — rather than posting baseless allegations about me as if they are facts.
Apparently, the buttons on his phone are too hard to press.
Typical Jerbal Cunningham, he writes 8 paragraphs and manages to say absolutely nothing about the issue (Dick Ackerman gets caught breaking the law) at hand.
Typical Tony Bushala — unable to notice it was his pal Sipowicz who took an off-topic shot at me, and I responded. Too bad you and the rest of your ankle-biter buddies have to play by a double-standard.
Dearest Jerbil,
We took a vote and you have been elected as the president of the American Association of Jerbils. The organization is dedicated to shilling for people that pay its members while they try to deny it and specifically focussed on mastery of the circular argument. The vote was unanimous as you are singularly qualified.
Probably not a whole lot of members but for certain you are the leader. We regret that your new duties will occupy most of your time and we will miss reading your “I know you are but what am I” themed comments. Good bye Jerbil and good luck. Just remember, in the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed are king. You will fit perfectly as president of your new group.
“Most local elections don’t seem to matter much, at least here in OC.”
They matter to folks when officials honor their commitment to a full term as opposed to leaving early to pursue a move up the political ladder.
Is there some reason I’m not aware of (other than personal gain) as to why Norby left his Fullerton City Council term early to fill the Supe’s seat? Taxpayers then paid for a special election to fill his vacated seat, just as we’re about to be made to do again in order to fill Duvall’s, correct?
*They matter more to folks…
Empathy,
You are way off the mark here. Of course any one who respects the taxpayers money would not want to waste extra money on elections.
First, In Norby’s case he resigned early from his council post back in ’02 specifically so his seat could be filled during the ALREADY SCHEDULED NOVEMBER ELECTION. As for the Duvall seat, how is Norby to blame for this? Scumbag resigns and there is an election to fill the seat. Nothing more than that.
Your second issue seems to be that candidates who do not complete elected terms are too blame for additional election expenses. I agree this could be an issue but should be looked at case by case. Norby was on the council for 18 years and finally agreed to run for higher office. This too short a time for you? Some folks cant sit still (Harry Sidhu of anaheim and Mark Leyes of Garden Grove come to mind) and are constant serial candidates. In those circumstances you have a point in that the elected appear as thought they never intend to serve any term they are elected to.
If, as you seem to be suggesting, no one elected to office should ever run unless the term being seved is completed first, we would have a yet larger group of incompetents running things.
Hollis is right. Norby left the Council in the summer so his replacement could be included in the 2002 General Election. His decision saved the cost oof a separate election.
Interestingly enough, I believe the winner of that election was Shawn Nelson – who beat the Gang’s handpicked slug, Chuck Munson.
“As for the Duvall seat, how is Norby to blame for this?”
I haven’t a clue. Is that what you’re asserting because I sure didn’t. An archived LA Times article from 2002 I linked to within another recent FFFF blog entry indicated that a “special election” was held for Norby’s seat. I mentioned that the current election is also a special election and asked for additional details. Perhaps you didn’t notice all those question marks working their punctuation magic in my post. lol
“[18 years] too short a time for you?”
You’re missing/obscuring the point. I was addressing a single elected term of office vacated prematurely.
“If, as you seem to be suggesting, no one elected to office should ever run unless the term being seved is completed first”
I tend to avoid such absolutes, hence my request for additional details of this specific instance.
A self-servin political manuever? Aw c’mon, Empathy. Norby ran for supervisor against an entrenched incumbent, and won. Then he gave up his part-time Fullerton council gig. Big deal.
If you hold all pols to the same standard as you do Norby you may not have all that many people to vote for.
Would you have voted for Sharon Quirk in this election had she stayed in?
“If you hold all pols to the same standard as you do Norby you may not have all that many people to vote for.”
haha alright, alright, Joe Sipowicz, you got me on that one. I am almost completely out of people to vote for…sadly. 🙁
Would you have voted for Sharon Quirk in this election had she stayed in?”
Same principle. I would only vote for her if I felt I had no other viable choice because everyone seems to think this is an acceptable standard of practice now. Besides, I’m hoping that she’ll be one of the few to keep Chevron from developing Coyote Hills before Sanchez grooms her along to greener pastures.
Is it possible Norby heralds a new wave of politics that refuses to be defined by the good old backroom GOP chicanery? The rising popularity of Tea Parties and town hall meetings shows voters are equally disgusted by both Democrats and Republicans. Norby should hook into this sincere grassroots movement to gain political momentum. Linda ackerman’s connections to big business and money may buy her flashy political ads but people are not buying into images anymore instead they want someone who isnt too busy or afraid to walk among the people he or she promises to represent.
so really, don’t you just mean that at least we don’t have to worry about another ridiculous sex scandal because it doesn’t matter how much political clout you have, with a set of buck teeth like norby’s, there won’t be a problem? no offense guys, because i always appreciate you calling out the bs that surrounds us, but this sounds like a pretty bs paid advert for somebody who is just as inneffective as most of our representatives, regardless of their party. oc politics suck, plain and simple, you are very right about that. so why should i vote for any single person who’s been involved in it thus far? because they are the lesser of 7 evils? maybe we should stop bitching, and start taking over? i think its time.
“maybe we should stop bitching, and start taking over? i think its time.”
Hmm. What did you have in mind?
I’m in too Retarted, however, whoever we get to run will also be a politician once he/she is elected. See the problem? Maybe we can all agree that so long as we are electing humans we will always have criticism.
The crowd here at FFFF has been pretty quick to call BS on Norby when he was considering running for Clerk. We raked him over the coals pretty good on that one. Linda Ackerman is justly getting slapped around due to her false statments about where she lives and her vocation.
Bottom line is we will accept someone who tries to do right for the people not his or her self, admits when he/she makes mistakes and does not need to lie to us when merely giving his or her resume