This is the Year of the Rat….a wonderful year to get out and accomplish
a bunch of tasks and to find good property and to develop your very capable
creative skills. It seems that as “America’s Sheriff – Mike Carona” is
under a fusillade of slings and arrows..many self endowed…..it is not taking
long for the vultures to circle……and throw their collective hats into the
ring to be the anointed replacement…as the “New and Improved” Sheriff of
the third biggest economy in California and one of the top 10 anywhere around
the world! Sometimes, we forget just what a mighty financial juggernaut we
have going right here in Orange County.
There is bound to be a huge amount of pandering to the collective group of
candidates shooting for this huge job! At the Principles Over Politics
Breakfast on the 16th of February…..Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson was in
evidence and was very pleasant. He even took the time to better explain his
plan to save the Sheriff’s Department lots of money with a two tiered wage
plan for Deputies. What seemed most important was that he suggested no change
to the current method of moving Deputies from the jail system to Patrol duties
as attrition and retirement currently allows. The major difference seems to
be that new hires into the jail system will be hired at a “to be announced”
lower entry level wage…while they begin their careers with OC Sheriff’s
Department. Whether that passes muster with the Union…or the Board of
Supervisors…is still to be determined. At any rate, Jack is a likable
and responsive personality. Whether he can guide, direct and lead a Department
at a time of struggle with the Board of Supervisors…is still to be determined.
OK, what about the other players seeking the big Top Cop Sheriff Job? Bill
Hunt seems to be the Sheriff’s Union choice. He put his head in the jaws of
the lion in the last race for Sheriff with Carona and suffered a fate worse
than death…when he was removed…once Sheriff Carona was re-elected. Paybacks
for the Sheriff’s Department are not new concepts. These types of things have
been going on in various forms for as long as we can remember. Whether Hunt
can match his desires with those of the Board of Supervisors and make the very
necessary compromises…will tell alot.
Ralph Martin comes out of the LA Sheriff’s Department…and touted his record
as a mature and experienced leader in the last election. Deputy Chief of Anaheim, Craig Hunter is new to the process and is a relatively unknown. Kevin Keyes is another lesser known commodity that stands by his record in the US Navy “Silent Service”…you know ..as a Engineer on Nuclear Subs!
That leaves two additional serious contenders: Ken Maddox is the young turk,
former State Senator, connected strongly to various big wigs and a genuine
and responsive person. Does Ken Maddox have a real chance against all the heavy
hitters going for this position? It might have to take a miracle!
Finally, there is Paul Walters, the Santa Ana PD guy that ran against Mike
Carona in 1998. He is a 36 year veteran, with a strong character and has
support just below that of Bill Hunt with the Sheriff’s Union. We even voted for Walters in the 1998 race. The NRA buzz got to us about Carona…so we really had mixed emotions during that race. We believe enough candidates have thrown their
hats into the ring – that there are lots of good candidates out there…that don’t even have to include someone from New Jersey, Louisiana or Florida. This is a good thing! One name left off the list was our original favorite Bob McDonell, former Police Chief of Newport Beach. Our thought is…that Bob would rather stay out of this fray…..hey, someone could get hurt!
So, this is a lot like a lottery…we bet that the Sheriff’s Department has
a big chart up on the wall…..somewhere….with all the photos and all the
choices. This issue could draw more money that the SuperBowl….. We wish
all those involved in the process….good luck, but caution each one of them
to be sure that their backgrounds have to be not only squeaky clean but without
sin in any known form! This is a tough order and as we say: Good Luck guys!
Neither Bill Hunt nor Paul Walters should be on the short list.
Bill was caught doing “something” wrong as an employee. Something like, misusing public property to run a campaign. That’s exactly why this “personnel issue” has not been made public by either party and why the union has sat on their hands instead of defending him. The union hasn’t a leg to stand on and Bill will not ruin his own public image. (and we all know that if Timmy says it’s white there’s no doubt it’s black!) State laws are in place to protect the guilty employee and keep the Sheriffs department from bringing the issue up in a public forum. While I have no personal knowledge of what took place, I have no doubts about what is inside the box nobody wants to talk about with regard to Bill’s demotion and subsequent departure from the department.
Paul Walters on the other hand runs a department that will not release public information about the department or crime statistics to anyone outside the department and has played this hide and seek game for years. All the while spending tons of money on data collection services. He has been collecting a retirement pension as well as special consulting fees, double dipping as it were, from a cash strapped city that needs every penny it can get just to pave the freaking streets. Seemingly there is little or no public accountability for the departments actions or inactions. While the rank and file of SAPD is generally very good, (and frustrated) the leadership and public relation skills of the upper echelons of the department leave a great deal to be desired. Like the rest of the upper managements team of “professional managers” in Santa Ana they have a communication and PR gap wider than the Grand Canyon and an attitude that reminds me of old Boston, NYC or Chicago. They are great however at making excuses for why the city isn’t getting better. They have been there too long and need to find other employment elsewhere, but not in the larger county system.
If you want a fair, honest, open Orange County Sheriffs department I would suggest that neither should be eligible for the position.