So Who Was in Charge of the County?

* The baring of the dirty linen of the Orange County bankruptcy is mind-boggling and only makes one ask, “Who was running the store?” It seems everyone from the supervisors (and I use that word loosely) on down to the rank-and-file managers, analysts and clerks were not only not running the store, but were keeping their mouths shut about the condition of Orange County’s finances and doing nothing to try to reduce the losses. They were not managing the county affairs; they were looking after their own political and financial well-being. It’s no wonder the public has no faith in our government officials.

All those involved should be thrown out of office or fired for gross malfeasance of duty. The supervisors should lose their pension benefits on the basis that they weren’t supervising anything at all.

It is hard for me to believe that this bankruptcy could happen in this enlightened day and age and with all the checks and balances we supposedly have built into our systems, without some kind of fraud and deception taking place. If this turns out to be the case, those involved should be punished by fines and/or jail terms.

WILLIAM B. ROGERS

Mission Viejo

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An open letter to Supervisors [Roger R.] Stanton and [William G.] Steiner: You were elected to be supervisors, not sleep your way through office. The bankruptcy, and all leading up to it, happened on your watch so you should go, Roger, and you should go, Bill.

Now you want to spend the taxpayers’ money to defend yourself against the charges of misconduct in office while taxpayer dollars are used to prosecute you. So just go, Roger; go, Bill.

You are both avowed lame ducks so we are threatened with a spectacle of two nonperformers in office going through a torturous, expensive legal ballet for no purpose whatever the verdict. So just go, Roger; go, Bill.

Go with God, Roger and Bill, but for God’s sake, go!

BOB GEISS

Lake Forest

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One year since the Orange County bankruptcy, it looks like Mr. Citron, he of the $90,000 annual pension, will not serve any time for his supervisory wizardry. Only in government could someone participate in what amounts to embezzlement, plead guilty to six felony counts, claim he was “in decline” (later changed to “suffering from dementia”) and be rewarded with a pension more than twice the average income of Orange County residents.

His excuse merchants (legal team) have assembled mountains of paper which seek to place the blame for the debacle on Assistant Treasurer Matthew Raabe, former Budget Director Ronald Rubino, Merrill Lynch and former County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider. This is not to say that Citron is the only “trusted public servant” responsible for losing $1.7 billion. On the contrary, they were all involved to varying degrees. So not only do we have to eat the loss, but we have to pay for the lawyers who have landed like vultures to pick at the bones.

It is reassuring to know how truly “essential” our government employees are. One question: Will any of these gutless wonders accept responsibility for anything?

PATRICK MALLON

Lake Forest