COMMENTARY ON COUNTY BANKRUPTCY : Electorate Must Assure That Every Vote Is an Educated Vote : It is imperative that the public scrutinize candidates, and support talented, energetic ones with time and money.

Orange County’s bankruptcy crisis and investment pool loss of $1.7 billion in public tax revenue provides voters with a sterling opportunity to re-evaluate their participation in local government.

While we may wish to continue chastising our county government officeholders for their incompetence in allowing the fiasco to happen--as well as our city officials who lost millions by investing heavily in the fund--we cannot forget that it was us, the voters, who empowered these officeholders in the first place and failed to monitor their job performance. Most notably in June, 1994, as a community, we routinely reelected the man at the center of the scandal, Robert L. Citron, with 61% of the vote.

In order for our communities to self-govern successfully, two ingredients are vital: qualified candidates and a participatory electorate.

The citizenry needs to view cities, school and water districts, and other public entities as businesses of which they are shareholders, businesses that provide important public services funded by millions of dollars of their tax money. Voter-shareholders, when casting their ballots, must be diligent in hiring good management to run their public entities, management that makes important day-to-day governing decisions. Good management is crucial to the success of any organization, and therefore, needs to be sought out and maintained.

It’s ironic to see that now, after the county catastrophe has occurred, so many of the community’s “best and brightest” have stepped forward to offer their services as the county’s chief executive officer. And it’s scandalous to see so many high-priced attorneys, public relations experts and investment professionals converging on the county to offer their expertise at major expense to taxpayers.

However, it is often difficult to persuade talented private sector professionals to put aside personal gain and, in the spirit of civic virtue, step forward to offer their time and talent for the good of the community.

Not only is the private sector more lucrative and offers greater privacy, few wish to subject themselves to the potential abuse of unhappy constituents or predatory newspaper reporters.

Additionally, campaigning for public office can be an onerous task. Successful candidates must devote long hours to raising funds, seeking out and organizing volunteers, walking precincts and handing out literature, calling voters, preparing mass mailings, completing campaign finance disclosure forms and much more, for none of which the candidate is financially compensated.

Time is spent away from family and friends, and one’s job often suffers neglect. A candidate must also worry that his name might be smeared in the press or that he might be the target of ugly “hit piece” mailers from opponents.

These difficulties translate into a dearth of quality candidates for public office in Orange County. To make matters worse, some races are dominated by special interest groups (the classic example being the case of school board races and teachers’ unions), which cultivate and back their own candidates, discouraging potential challengers.

It’s imperative that we voters, upon meeting talented, energetic candidates for public office, support them with our time and money.

Besides making a donation, walk a precinct or help out with a mailer. Organize and staff a phone bank. Be the host of a “meet the candidate” tea in your home. A candidate, motivated by the right reasons, is a valuable asset to the community and deserves our support. Be wary, however, of the career politician or the candidate with a flowery social agenda and little understanding of finance and business management.

And, when a candidate approaches us with his or her message, we need to listen. We need a good knowledge of the issues and candidates on which we’re asked to vote if we’re to make sound decisions. Mindless and annoying “vote, it’s your right” voter participation drives should be replaced with “every vote, an educated vote” campaigns. Background information on candidates is readily available in local publications and campaign literature, as well as from that politically astute friend or acquaintance we all know.

Also, imposing term limits on elected officials offers an important systematic reform. Human beings, by nature, are very lazy animals. Candidates can assume public office with great initiative and zeal, but over time it is natural for complacency to set in and a substandard performance to result. Term limits offer a built-in mechanism to remove officeholders before this often likely period of sloth begins.

In the final analysis, citizens of a representative democracy bear ultimate responsibility for the public officials who represent them. Unless we, as voters, take a more active role in the electoral process, and more talented private sector professionals unselfishly offer themselves as candidates, we will continue to suffer the ill effects of mediocre and even incompetent local leadership.

John M.W. Moorlach, Orange County’s prophetic Costa Mesa accountant of “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Moorlach” fame, puts it best when he admonishes his Orange County audiences: “You get the government you deserve!”