Last week, I wrote about one of the largest groups in Orange County being ignored for appointment to the county redistricting board.
It’s apparent that the exclusion of Puerto Ricans from the county redistricting board is a drop in the ocean, when it comes to questionable county appointments and,that the whole process altogether is broken.
What I witnessed this morning when I tuned into the Orange County Commission meeting on Orange TV (a wonderful service by the way) was a spotlight shined on one of the ugliest problems that I thought we had taken a step away from, with the past elections.
Board appointments used to gain favor with special interests and used as social calls to hang out with buddies.
As expected several members from the Puerto Rican community appeared before the Orange County Commission. They’re concerns were heartfelt, points valid, and they produced facts that really bothered me and lowered my confidence in Orange County Government.
Everyone on the commission had something to say. If not out of genuine concern, definitely for political survival. It’s best to go right down the line.
Mayor Teresa Jacobs:Announced that she was forming an oversight task force and that there was a Puerto Rican on that board and that one of her redistricting appointees was married to one. She brought up her campaign promises and that she wanted to work with all members of Orange County.
District 1 Commissioner Scott Boyd: He was actually prepared to move on but, had a short statement voicing his concern on the topic.
District 2 Commissioner Fred Brummer: He mentioned that it’s pretty hard to live in District 2 and not get appointed. He gave out his personal email and the name of his contacts and said that anyone that was interested would be able to serve.
This simply isn’t true.
I applied to serve, when I lived in Brummer’s district. Communication is difficult with his office. I called his office to asked about the possibility of saving a shelter, that assists battered women and his assistant didn’t take down any of my information and couldn’t sound less interested.
District 3 Commissioner Lui Damiani:The Governor Charlie Crist appointee didn’t comfort many of his constituents, providing excuses instead of solutions. “I like to work with people I know” he announced.
If you’re working with the same people all of the time, aren’t you shutting out the new voices that want to serve? Do we need to start looking at term limits, when it comes to volunteering at county government?!
District 4 Commissioner Jennifer Thompson:Someone, who I have defended on this blog before, was behind the most disturbing mistake of this entire process. District 4, which has the largest Hispanic population in Orange County had the most questionable appointees.
Not Puerto Rican? Fine, but from the largest Hispanic district in Orange, they are from the culture right?
No? Okay, well I understand. They are everyday, concerned citizens who want to make the county better right? No!? Then who are they?
Commissioner Jennifer Thompson appointed a chamber of commerce colleague and an attorney who is employed, from a major advocate of developers.
Absolute non-sense.
Commissioner District 5 Ted Edwards:My experience with Commissioner Edwards is that he can be very blunt and straight forward. He was actually quite concerned and touted his work with a diverse group.
Commissioner District 6 Tiffany Moore-Russell:Confessed that her appointees were African-American but was very receptive to the concerns of the speakers appearing before the board.
Mayor Jacobs closed on the issue stating that the group in attendance “should not walk away” from the process.
Well, when everyday, concerned citizens, want to serve and get pushed aside for developers and golfing buddies, that’s what they do. Good people are discouraged and ideas that make a community stronger are lost.
When they say they are concerned, I don’t believe them. Perhaps, I was naive to believe them in the first place. I hope they can prove me wrong.
My heart goes out to the speakers of that meeting today. They fought the good fight, but when the special interests pull out the checkbooks and start making lunch reservations…Well.. The battle was lost before it began.
I like to say that something has to be very wrong when a group of citizens, like 308.000 plus Hispanics are completely ignored and disenfranchised from the political process and to ad insult to injury, to have to appear in a political chamber to protest to the very same people employed, some times against their will to represent everyone…..that includes caucasians, Asians, Blacks, Puertorricans and Hispanics.
I have never seen any other community group crying WOLF!
Or taxation without representation or “very surprised” politicians offering excuses for neglecting an entire group of people like 300.000 plus.
Thank you for your comment. I do agree, that there is something very wrong, but I do believe that positive changes are on the way.
I just read your commentary which appears to be in response to the one from the 1st RAC meeting. On that hat day when we learned no Community Person or Puerto Ricans had been named to the 15 member RAC, instead registered lobbyists, conflict of interest friends and political hacks were named without regards for their lack of community care. You now know that these politicians are only “concerned” about their packets and their donors.
Our Coalition for Advocacy is the front runner to create a NEW District with a 45% Hispanic Majority in order to achieve Representation…at the last RAC meeting another group presented “their” concept of Redistricting and offered a map that was not taken seriously, but the sad part of this nonsense circus is that the powers-that-be had a first hand personal VIEW of the disdainful DIVISION within the Hispanic Community…as the other group presuming of having a “Teacher of redistricting” as their spokesperson laughed at Mr. Jaye Bonner a(Coalition for advocacy) spokesperson when he was speaking for Hispanics Rights. It was CLEAR to the RAC they have been handed in a silver platter, that groups MO of “divide & Conquer”. In other words, they cut their NOSE to spite their FACE!
[...] has been a lot of controversy in county government over the last year. No one liked the county redistricting appointments, negotiations for a domestic partnership registry were tense at times, and the Sunrail debate went [...]
Sad how things turned around for Orange County’s Hispanics in 2011 during the several redistricting circus at the school board, the city, the county and the Charter. …..Last night I attended a party held at a local club……the almost 300@$30 each paying attendees read like Who is Who among ……….I was looking at their frozen faces and saggy bodies oblivious to anything or anyone not in their circle, and I quietly said to my self… ” the people perish for lack of knowledge”…and for lack of caring for the ones who cannot speak for themselves, for the poor, the tired and destitute” Proverbs 31:8-9 Worst of all?????…for lack of REAL leadership!