Republican Club
By Brian Harmon
LW contributor
The OC Republican Central Committee, which officially controls the GOP in Orange County, endorsed John Moorlach for the Board of Supervisors to fill the seat left vacant by Michelle Steel’s election to Congress. The Leisure World Republican Club had also thrown in its support behind Moorlach in the Dec. 10 issue of the LW Weekly.
Voters in District 2, which includes Leisure World, will vote to replace Steel in early 2021. Unfortunately, this special election will not have a run-off; the person with the highest vote will be the winner. Meaning if the Republican vote is split three ways, a Democratic candidate will have a much better chance of winning.
“We must coalesce behind one Republican candidate to hold this critical seat. That Republican is John Moorlach,” OC GOP Charman Fred Whitaker said.
Candidate Mike Posey, mayor of Huntington Beach, was firm in refusing to remove himself from the race.
“Right now, I’m in it all the way,” Posey said, according to the Voice of OC, a nonprofit newsroom.
Posey cited his experience as mayor specifically referring to a decision he made finding the money to increase the salaries of police officers by delaying plans to add police positions.
Newport Beach City Councilman Kevin Muldoon is the other Republican in the race.
Moorlach is best known for his role in the OC bankruptcy and forging policies to confront the problems associated with the Great Recession of 2008.
A unique attribute of Moorlach is his willingness to work with members of the opposite party. For example, in dealing with the related problems of mental illness and homelessness, Moorlach conferred with Democratic lawmakers to help the mentally ill avoid the trauma of living on the streets.
He also cited his experience as county supervisor for eight years.
“There are a lot of departments, a lot of agencies that supervisors serve on boards of. It’s a big workload, and I think the strongest benefit is that I bring the experience. I know the boards, I know management at the county, I know the ancillary agencies,” Moorlach said Friday.
“We’re dealing with COVID-19, and that has a massive financial impact,” he added, pointing to his experience as a retired certified public accountant. “You’ll have someone with the skill sets of an accountant or a financial planner.”
