Carol Rudat, the Newport Beach resident who has carpetbagged into Orange in order to run for city council, dodged a bullet regarding her residency during last night Orange council candidates' forum. Rudat was spared by the format under which candidates were asked written questions submitted by the audience.
All ten candidates took seat on the council dais. Moderator Tom Graves, editor of the Orange City News, would read a question. The first three candidates, starting on the left, would answer it. Then Graves would read the next question, and the next three candidates would read it. As a result, only three of the 10 candidates had to answer any particular question.
Carol Rudat sat in the seventh position, so that by the time the moderator got to her, it was always time to read a new question.
Someone (other than myself) had submitted a question asking the candidates to state when they had become residents of of Orange and how long they had lived there. I think everyone in the room anticipated such question was in stack of notecards, and the only question was whether Carol Rudat would dodge the bullet in this variation of Russian Roulette.
Unfortunately, Rudat lucked out. The moderate got to Phil Martinez, who has in the fourth chair -- meaning it was time for a new question to be answered by him and candidates 5 and 6 (John Caglia and Jeremy Wayland). Graves picked up the note-card and read the residency question.
I was in an anteroom watching on the TV monitor at this point. The camera only showed one candidate at a time, so I didn't see Mrs. Rudat's response when the question was read but others in the audience I spoke with said she looked physically relieved at knowing she wouldn't have to explain her carpetbagging on cable television.
Oh well. Maybe next forum.
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