Jon Fleischman agrees that Chris Norby is the frontrunner in the race for the 72nd Assembly District

Chris Norby and his family

Jon Fleischman, the former P.R. flack to disgraced former O.C. Sheriff Mike Carona, analyzed the Assembly race between Supervisor Chris Norby and MWD board member Linda Ackerman in his blog today.

Fleischman didn’t conclude anything we haven’t already mentioned here.  He agrees with my contention that Norby is the frontrunner.  Norby has won several elective offices in the area and Ackerman has never won anything.  And Ackerman is a carpetbagger who moved to Irvine awhile ago.  Norby has never left the district.

However Fleischman did write a couple of tremendous fallacies in his post.  He wrote, “I believe that Chris and Linda will have nearly identical positions.”

NOT TRUE!  Linda’s husband Dick, throughout his time in public office, has regularly sided with bad Republicans who abuse eminent domain and redevelopment.  Dick also cut deals with Democrats in Sacramento that raised our taxes and wasted our tax money.  You can expect Linda to be just as much a hack as Dick!

Fleischman also wrote that Norby has “sharp elbows” and he doesn’t “play well with others.”  What the heck does that mean?  Just last week I spoke to a local elected official in north Orange County who has regularly disagreed with Norby, but who admires the fact that Norby can set aside such sentiments and be polite about it. 

I have known Norby for years and I have never known him to be a lout.  He is exactly what he appears to be – a nice guy who is quite a character. 

I did not like Norby’s run for Orange County Clerk-Recorder – as it was an obvious attempt to make money off politics.  Norby wasn’t right for that office, but his consultant, John Lewis, led him astray.

That said, Norby is an awesome candidate for the State Assembly.  In an era of amazing waste and mismanagement in Sacramento, I know Norby will fight tax increases and do what he can to reduce the size of our government.

Does anyone really think that Linda Ackerman will do the same?  No way!  She will be Dick Ackerman in a dress.  She will do exactly what he would do – and that is not good for the people of the 72nd Assembly District.

Fleischman also has the temerity to mention Norby’s past.  Norby is no Duvall.  He has had some rough luck in marriage but unlike Duvall, Norby is fully committed to his wife and family.  I met her a few months ago – she is fantastic.  Born and raised in Columbia, Martha is witty, smart and a great mom to her children.  I am glad that Norby found such a great woman to share his life with.

As for Norby on the issues, let’s him tell us what they are in his own words.  He penned a column that Fleischman ran on his blog, the Flash Report.  Here are a few excerpts from that column:

During my tenure in elective office, I have held 3 values paramount:

1) Treat the taxpayers’ money as if it were your own.
2) Government should only use the funds it needs–not all it can get.
3) Judge laws and programs not by their intentions but by their results.

While serving on the Fullerton City Council for 18 years, I led the repeal of an unneeded utility tax that had sparked the recall of three of my colleagues. This forced long overdue reforms in contracting out city functions, with money saved and services improved.

I saw how redevelopment agencies distorted free markets by using eminent domain and subsidies to benefit powerful interests at the expense of small businesses and homeowners. Government should not pick and choose economic winners and losers, but allow all to equally compete. Success is only possible with the risk of failure

I authored the book “Redevelopment: The Unknown Government” and founded Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform (MORR), fighting for fair play, fiscal responsibility and ending eminent domain abuse.

At Brea-Olinda High School for 18 years, I loved teaching US History and Government, but saw first-hand the cumbersome educational bureaucracy. In 1993, I was one of only six public school teachers statewide to openly support the Prop. 173 voucher initiative, which earned me the vocal reproach of local union leaders. Despite that measure’s defeat, parental empowerment continues to grow under expanded charter schools and open enrollment policies

Elected to the OC Board of Supervisors in 2002, I defeated an entrenched incumbent who had supported a Project Labor Agreement requiring union labor for all county contracts. I led the defeat of that PLA, opening up competition and saving taxpayers money.

I have helped form majorities where I could. On the OC Transportation Authority I led the fight to scrap the $2 billion CenterLine light rail scheme that would have only added to traffic woes. I support design-build projects, such as the Garden Grove Freeway modernization, which was completed 2 years earlier than if CalTrans engineers had ran it.

Even when in the minority, I’ve stuck to core values. I opposed the 2.7% at 55 pension spike for county employees. Current public pensions are unsustainable and our ageing workforce should be encouraged to extend their careers, rather than lured into early retirement. Currently 20% of our entire Sheriff’s budget is spent on pension costs, a number sure to grow in the coming years. Pension reform must be a top priority of the legislature.

When our newly-appointed Sheriff cracked down on concealed weapons holders, I stood up for the 2nd Amendment and their right to personal protection. Law-abiding gun owners are being subject to mass revocations of their lawfully-issued CCWs. Unfortunately the Sheriff had been appointed on a 3-2 vote (Supervisor Campbell and myself dissenting) when nothing was known about her views on concealed weapons.

K-12 education is the state’s biggest expenditure. The cumbersome Education Code and categorical programs must be reformed to allow greater decision-making by local districts and parents. We don’t need a top-heavy Office of Education in Sacramento and 58 separate county offices, as well.

To read the rest of this column, click here.

Norby is endorsed by:

County Treasurer Chriss Street
County Supervisor Patricia Bates
County Supervisor Bill Campbell
County Supervisor Janet Nguyen
Michael Schroeder, Former Chairman, California Republican Party*
State Senator John Lewis, Ret.
Anaheim Councilmember Bob Hernandez
La Habra Councilman James Gomez
Orange Councilmember Denis Bilodeau
Placentia Mayor Greg Sowards
Placentia Councilmember Joseph Aguirre
Yorba linda Mayor Pro Tem John Anderson
Yorba Linda Councilmember Nancy Rikel