Yesterday, The Orange County Board of Supervisors narrowed down their list of potential candidates for the vacant position of County Clerk-Recorder. The new list of eleven candidates will be scheduled, at a date yet to be determined, for public interviews by the board. The list is a virtual who’s who of  former elected Republican officials and insiders in Orange County.
The list includes (Courtesy OC Register):
- Dick Ackerman, attorney, former state senator and assemblyman
- Larry Bales, FDIC settlement agent
- Michael J. Fox, attorney
- Steven Madoff, consultant, former executive vice president of Paramount Pictures
- Hieu Nguyen, assistant clerk of Board of Supervisors, former chief deputy recorder, ran for clerk-recorder in 2010
- Chris Norby, retired teacher, former state assemblyman and county supervisor
- Bruce Peotter, attorney, former assistant public administrator/public guardian, ran for clerk-recorder in 2002, ran for assessor in 1998
- Renee Ramirez, assistant clerk-recorder who is currently running the department
- Roy Reynolds, personal rapid transit consultant
- Steve Rosansky, real estate company president, former Newport Beach councilman and mayor
- Harry Sidhu, business owner, former Anaheim councilman
Occupational information for the candidates was provided by the office of Supervisor Todd Spitzer.
The Register story quotes Supervisor Todd Spitzer:
“It’s so important to hear from a diverse and qualified group of applicants,” Spitzer said afterward, in an emailed statement. “This is not an insider’s game.”
Really!? Did he even read the list?
We have noticed that a rust colored chimney has been erected on the roof of the County Hall of Administration in recent days. We are speculating here, but we think this it an exhaust vent to let the smoke out of the back room, where the selection will actually be made. Red smoke, when they have made a selection—blue smoke when their ballots have failed to reach consensus.