Moorlach Comments Raise Concerns

* Regarding “Panelist Says Moorlach Not Ready for Pool” (June 7): Isn’t it wonderful. Now John M.W. Moorlach is calling Gary Pulford “a jerk” who “doesn’t know anything.”

Doesn’t know anything? A member of the county’s Treasury Oversight Committee. Vice president of First American Trust! Isn’t this the same type of political arrogance that got us into this mess to begin with? The assumption that the rest of us don’t know anything? And only our “know everything” county officials do or did?

The whole issue brings the questions:

1. What, indeed, does John Moorlach know about investing $3.4 billion?

2. Should we trust such an immature “name-caller” with that type of responsibility?

3. Is this the type of response we should expect each time that John Moorlach is constructively criticized?

JOSEPH R. HEALEY

Costa Mesa

* Wait a minute! Wasn’t a committee appointed to oversee the operations of the county treasurer in order to protect us from another financial debacle? Yet, when one member expressed concerns (apparently shared by other members) about county Treasurer-Tax Collector John M.W. Moorlach’s ability to handle the county investment pool, Moorlach responded by calling that committee member a “jerk” who “doesn’t know anything.”

Weren’t the volunteer members of this committee selected for their professional expertise in the complex world of high finance? And is it not true that our treasurer lacks similar expertise?

That committee is there to protect us from the excesses and failings of the likes of Mr. Moorlach. They should be able to do so without being vilified and insulted.

One would have thought, after our supervisors’ failure to exert proper oversight over former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron, that they would have wanted to place someone with sterling qualifications in the treasurer’s job. Instead they ignored county Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy’s recommendation to do a broad search for the most qualified applicant, and stuck us with someone professionally unqualified and seemingly of questionable personal qualifications as well.

DIANTHA SMITH

Yorba Linda

Editor’s note: Gary Pulford has resigned from the Treasury Oversight Committee.