Late this afternoon I spoke to candidate Fred Whitaker regarding his decision to run for the Orange City Council where there are two open seats. Fred currently serves as Chairman of their city Planning Commission. Fred told me that Mark A. Murphy is termed out and Denis Bilodeau is up for his reelection. Councilman Jon Dumitru, whose term runs through 2012, is challenging mayor Carolyn V. Cavecche.
As of now five candidates have “pulled papers” which are due to be completed and submitted to their city clerk by 5 p.m. Friday, August 6th. Challenger Merino has already filed his papers.
Residents in the city of Orange vote separately for mayor and council members. As his council term runs through 2012, should councilman Dumitru prevail over the mayor there will be a special election for his vacated seat. Therefore there is no down side to his mayoral challenge.
As of now, the others in the running include incumbent Denis Bilodeau, Mike Merino who lost is bid for council in 2004, Robert Douglas, who lost in his 2004, 2006 and 2008 bids, and Chris Horton.
Fred pointed out that there are roughly 60,000 registered voters in the city of Orange that has approximately 140,000 residents.
While Fred has created a campaign web site let me simply point out his four listed priorities:
“Streamlining city hall and making Orange a business friendly city committed to job creation.
Combating traffic gridlock.
Enhancing public safety by giving police officers and firefighters the tools they need to do their job.
Renewing our city’s commitment to parks and recreational opportunities.”
Fred previously served as a Board member of the Orange Little League and vice president of the Community Foundation of Orange and the Santiago Canyon College Foundation.
Fred currently serves as First Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee.
For additional information on his bio and campaign priorities simply go to his web site:
http://fredmwhitaker.com
“Enhancing public safety by giving police officers and firefighters the tools they need to do their job.”
Uh oh!
Tony,
Or maybe “ruh-roh!”
Police forces and fire departments have both made good use of fire hoses.
Would Fred endorse the actions of the City Council and the “Rule of Law” or should he get a “Clown City” prize aswell?
Thank you for this post. I support Fred 100% but I’m worried that he can’t get elected. He has been on the Republican Central Committee for many years and yet he was almost NOT one of the top Six voter getters in his race in June. I think he was 6th out of six candidates. How will he get elected if he can’t get the vast majority of Republican votes? Also, do you think the fact that he is a lawyer will help or hurt him? I’m willing to walk for Fred or give money but I’m worried he is not a viable candidate and will lose again like the last 3 times he has run.
Panther pride.
Fact check. Perhaps you are confusing Fred with another challenger. Go to the ROV web site and you will discover that Fred Whitaker did NOT run in 2000, 2002, 2006 or 2008.
In the 2004 race he finished 3rd beating Bilodeau by over 3,000 votes. Check it out. Fred had 13,872 and Bilodeau had 10,850 if the ROV vote count is accurate.
They do not have Internet data prior to the 2000 election.
Another point. While Fred is active in the GOP this is a non-partisan race.
My sense is that your comment is a bogus attempt to oppose, not support, his candidacy.
While I live in the sleepy town of Mission Viejo, I did not fall off the back of a turnip truck last week.
Fred will make a great city councilman. I went to one of his fundraisers a few weeks ago and I could tell he has a strong campaign organization, tons of endorsement, and a tremendous ability to raise the funds necessary to send mail and get on the slates. Fred will not only win in November, I believe he will be the top vote getter.
Dwight. Do not cash the check before the bank says the funds are available.
We both saw Fred and his family at the Flag Day event. I would cast a vote for him if I lived in the city of Orange.
As of Friday night 10 citizens pulled papers in Mission Viejo. Trish Kelley and Dave Leckness are running. John Paul Ledesma is termed out leaving an open seat.
In less than 3 weeks we will all see who completes the task and turns in their final packet.
Rumor has it that your friend Geoff Willis has changed his mind and will not be one of the players in November. Feel free to confirm if you or Geoff wish.
Hi Larry,
I heard Geoff changed his mind a few weeks ago but I have not spoken with him directly so I can’t confirm or deny. The impression that I got was that he was sane enough to realize that city politics can be ridiculous at times and for most people it’s just not worth the aggravation…oh to have that kind of sanity.
I have read the passionate discussions between you and Geoff on this site but I do believe you both are in 100% agreement with me on most issues I hold dear (i.e. the sanctity of life, taxes are way too high and need to be cut, unions (not nuclear weapons) will ultimately destroy us if we don’t stand up to them, and eminent domain is an abuse of power by government). Geoff really is a good guy and I hope he stays involved even if he does not run.
As for Mr. Leckness, I have met him a couple of times and thus far I am not impressed one bit. That is yet another Democrat that needs to be driven from office this November.
Stay tuned for a filing in Lake Forest. I am hoping one of our close mutual friends will be announcing shortly. I have been working on him for about 2 years and talked with him extensively on Thursday and Friday night.
Talk to you soon!
Larry,
As for Fred, I will let him keep cashing my campaign donation checks to help insure he wins. My funds are always available. 🙂