Brown
Thursday, October 21, 2010 – 09:45 a.m.
I never thought I would be saying Larry Walker and hard ball politics in the same sentence.
But it seems Walker has decided to play.
The long-anticipated move of Matt Brown, former chief of staff to second district supervisor Paul Biane, from the position of Assistant Recorder to Assistant Auditor-Controller, would appear to signal Walker is now started playing the political game.
Even though Walker denied it. The ouster of former Assistant Auditor-Controller Betsy Starbuck was indeed to make way for Brown.
Brown, who has no clue or experience in what his new position involves, is clearly there for political capital.
It’s kind of ironic that yesterday the California Attorney General argued to a jury in a San Bernardino courtroom in an attempt to convict a man over being an alleged politically-appointed hire.
It’ll be interesting to see if local newspapers swallow their pens on this clearly “unqualified” appointment.
Brown’s apparent and on-going medaling in his former boss’ election can’t be making too many people in the government center happy, and Walker must know that.
Hey, but Walker is safe for another four years, and whenever Brown causes him grief, so what?
Brown does have a history of stirring the pot though.
Back in 2005-06, Brown and his wife spent countless hours researching documents that showed former third district supervisor Dennis Hansberger voted on contracts to give his former girlfriends business $18 million in county funding.
That “opposition research” was turned over to Orange County political operative David Ellis, who was able to generate a expanded story in the Los Angeles Times.
Ellis’ friend, Times reporter Gil Reza, did a masterful writing job.
The research and related articles were used to help defeat Hansberger in 2008.
However, I am curious as to the method those five-year old Biane legal documents were procured.
Were the Hansburgerler girls dba consultants? In what field of practice? No wonder everyone had to keep silent about Penrod and Bohl doing the contractual nasty.
I hope Brown does his homework in this position, the taxpayers need to know if this county is on the up and up. I firmly believe not, time will tell, hopefully Matt Brown is ethical and will tell.
The political appointee of Matt Brown by Larry Walker solidly places Mr. Walker in the political ball game. But then it isn’t a surprise, since Matt Brown, Sandy Harmsen’s son-in-law, made sure that she was appointed director of WDD as a routine political decision, so he knew how to work a deal. Also, Mr. Walker saw the ‘hole card’ and knew he had a lot to lose if it was turned over and so agreed to the hiring of Matt. Now to protect his protegee’, he has moved her into a position where she will be ‘safe’!!!
The recurrent thread in all of these hirings, is that none of them were made thru the so-called merit process, where one must prove they have the experience and knowledge to do the job. Rather, how nice it is to have someone in the position to get the job for you….
Walker is a stupid political hack. Brown belongs in prison.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Larry Walker is an aging a$$hole and Matt Brown is an incompetent buffoon.
We got rid of Postmus, Hansberger….soon Biane….next Mitzelfelt and Walker.
when is the board, or the newspapers or someone going to speak up and address this ‘unqualified appointment’? why is larry walker allowed to make these appointments for these positions to people who are clearly unqualified? why doesn’t someone do something about it? deAna thompson is clearly not qualified to be the chief deputy recorder but now she just got a huge raise and promoted to assistant recorder?? why is walker allowed to do these things? also would like to know why there isn’t a job description on the position walker created for assistant recorder? also would like to know how walker is saving the county money, which he claimed in April 2010 to the board, when he booted betsy starbuck, and has now named 2 assistant auditor/controller ttc, and created another higher position for his girlfriend deana!!
Come on Joe Nelson from the Sun and Cassie McDuff from PE…let’s do some serious reporting here!!!
Dear Follower of Blog:
The reason idiots like Larry Walker get to do the things they do is because when one gets high enough on the totem pole, so to speak, no one is around to challenge them except when it becomes painfully obvious something illegal is afoot. Also, nobody usually cares until it hits them in the proverbial pocketbook; then much wailing will occur!
Speaking of Mitzelfelt, most of the residents in Grand Terrace are laughing at his support of Bea Cortes- they are nicely pictured together on a mailer.
Cortes wins the seat. Sandoval comes in a weak third. Schwab a close second.