AD71 Watch: Jim Silva Endorses Neil Blais For Assembly

This just came over the transom from the Neil Blais for Assembly campaign:

Another Orange County GOP Assembly Member Endorses Neil Blais for Assembly

(Santa Ana) - Today, Assemblyman and former Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva announced his endorsement for Neil Blais for the open 71st Assembly District, further strengthening an already influential list of endorsements for Blais. A list that includes Orange County Supervisor and former GOP Legislator Pat Bates, AD 71 incumbent Todd Spitzer, Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman, Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona, Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell, former Senator Marian Bergeson, former GOP Chairman Mike Schroeder, among dozens of others.

"After my first year in Sacramento, I am more convinced than ever that we need stalwart conservatives like Neil Blais in our caucus fighting for California taxpayers," said Assemblyman Silva. "California taxpayers are under a constant barrage of legislation by Sacramento liberals, and Neil Blais has the toughness and business ‘know-how' to fight against bigger government, effectively oppose higher taxes, and help balance our state budget.  I'm glad to support him."
 
Assemblyman Silva's endorsement comes on the heels of an announcement of support by former Assemblywoman and now Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates.
 
"Neil Blais is an accomplished businessman and has an impressive track record in pushing transportation and other improvements in Orange County," said Blais Spokesman Tim Clark.  "Republicans can trust Neil Blais to be an effective legislator in Sacramento, and that's one reason why many of Orange County's most trusted Republicans have made an early endorsement for Neil."
 
Rancho Santa Margarita Councilman Neil Blais is a respected Republican who has earned a reputation on the City Council as a tough fiscal watchdog and rock-solid conservative.  Additionally, Councilman Blais serves or has served on a number of local boards, including the Orange County Water Task Force, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the Trauma Intervention Program Advisory Committee.
 
Neil Blais is an acknowledged expert on disaster response and recovery management and hazard mitigation planning issues, and he has personally been involved in helping to rebuild communities throughout the United States following devastating catastrophes such as Hurricane Floyd and the Red River Flood of 1997.

Comments

[Listen to Greenhut]

Yet another pension-spiker for Neal Blais
October 18th, 2007 by sgreenhut
From Steven Greenhut:

Rancho Santa Margarita Councilman Neal Blais, who is running for the 71st Assembly seat being vacated by termed-out Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, continues to send out press releases touting his endorsements. He’s got a good crowd of big-government Republicans on the list, including Spitzer, Mike Carona, Richard Dixon, Marian Bergeson, Cathy Green and Bill Campbell. He just added another one to the list — Assemblyman Jim Silva, who supported not one but two massive retroactive pension spikes for government employees while he served on the Board of Supervisors.

I love this quote from Silva, who has done more than perhaps any other elected official in OC to cause a huge mess for taxpayers. “After my first year in Sacramento, I am more convinced than ever that we need stalwart conservatives like Neil Blais in our caucus fighting for California taxpayers,” said Assemblyman Silva. “California taxpayers are under a constant barrage of legislation by Sacramento liberals, and Neil Blais has the toughness and business ‘know-how’ to fight against bigger government, effectively oppose higher taxes, and help balance our state budget. I’m glad to support him.”

I almost fell off my chair laughing. Opposing direct tax increases is great, but it’s not so great to cause enormous taxpayer liabilities through reckless spending that eventually lead to higher taxes, which is what Silva and Spitzer in particular have done.

What’s next? Perhaps a Blais endorsement from the liberal New Majority?

[Karl Rove]

I can't help but laugh that every time a new endorsement for Blais comes out, ones that Jeff Miller has coveted and has been unable to secure, gets blasted by the pro-Miller camp. Desperation from his side is showing deeply and the end is in sight for him.

Of course the Miller camp will deny that he even wanted any of these endorsements himself, but why don't we ask Jeff Miller himself to come on here and tell us that? How about it Jeff? Are you ready to fess up that you didn't want Spitzer's, Ackerman's, Campbell's, Bates's and Silva's endorsements? Is it true that you only wanted Ed Royce (who endorsed because of his strong ties to your campaign consultant Dave Gilliard), and Duvall (who is beholding to payback to the insurance industry, which you are linked as well)? Come clean, tell us the truth. Come tell us that you never sought out endorsements from any of those people.

[MV Watcher]

No Karl, Greenhut is right on this one.

Silva is despised by the entire GOP for his support of the Project Labor Agreement, selling out to unions and costing the county millions. He is as fiscally conservative as Babs Boxer. I do not know of anyone in the GOP who thinks Silva is a deep thinker in saving tax dollars.

But hey, Blais has the endorsement of MV Mayor Gail Reavis. Remember her? Just two years ago she sued the CITY and RESIDENTS of Mission Viejo for $10 million. Great idea Neal, don't think that won't cost him votes in MV. Ledesma has a real chance to carry the city now.

Not all endorsements are good ones...

[71st Insider]

Well Karl, I laugh everytime a donor that Neil has coveted writes Miller a check. I hear from Blais' finance team that things aren't going well...even with the recent wave of endorsements (which it should be pointed out that Miller had his home county's elected officials on board the day he announced and it has taken Blais nearly a year to secure).

Keep up the smiles and laughs. I predict tears after the next reports are public.

[Karl Rove]

MV Watcher,

Well I guess then that Silva's endorsement of Mimi Walters for Senate is the kiss of death for her as well in Mission Viejo against Harry Sidhu? Last I heard, she is doing pretty well in your city. And wasn't it Silva who was listed as an honoray host of a Miller fundraiser sometime back? Seems like Miller coveted that endorsement pretty heavily back then, and didn't get it. Let's face it, Blais is garnering all of the relevant OC endorsements for this race, and the Miller camp, as well as the Ledesma and Choi camps just have to face that reality. Spin it any way you want, but at the end of the day, when the voters see who is supporting who, Blais wins hands down. As far as MV, my crystal ball tells me that Blais wins that city going away.

71st Insider (from Corona),

It is my understanding from the Blais finance team that he is doing very well in fundraising. In fact, I understand he had a very successful fundraiser just last night. As always, we will just have to wait until the next reporting period to see the numbers. As you should know, everything else is just speculation at this point. As far as Miller's endorsements, if you are so politically connected as you appear to want people to believe, you would know that because Miller is the only Riverside County candidate, that those endorsements from those electeds was a given. With three OC candidates, of course it takes a little longer. But the lines have been drawn now in the OC, and Blais is the candidate of choice.

By the way, I am still waiting for Jeff Miller to come on this board and deny that he sought any of those endorsements I mentioned above. The silence speaks volumes.

[71st Watcher]

Karl (from RSM City Hall)-
The key for Team Blais is to convert those endorsements to cash and you are right (for once) that time will tell and for now it is just speculation.

You are new to Assembly primaries, so let me educate you...for the most part, this is a money game. They may have a draw in endorsements, but Miller is killing him in fundraising and I don't think Blais has more property to borrow again for the next cycle. Maybe your city council will let him take a loan against your pretty new city hall?

Also, I doubt seriously that Jeff Miller is going to take the time to come on a blog to answer any of your ridiculous accusations about which endorsements he want or doesn't want.

[Fact Checker]

Blais didn’t even think enough of Jim Silva to endorse him in Silva’s cantankerous assembly race in 2006. Yet he touts his support two years later? In fact Blais and Thompson, Blais’ top advocate and mouthpiece, both endorsed Mike McGill.

http://www.mike4assembly.com/endorsements.asp

[Karl Rove]

Fact Checker,

So what is the point? Yes that Blais endorsement of McGill is true. But this is two years later. McGill has also endorsed Blais in this campaign. Obviously Silva decided that it wasn't an issue. You might quit trying to deflect the obvious into something it is not and accept the fact that Miller lost out on one he thought he had in the bag. Case closed.

71st Watcher,

Well here we go again speculating on who I am and am not. Sounds like a certain Riverside County operative we all know blogging anonomously. That's ok, believe what you want. And speculating on who is killing who in the money game is meaningless at this point in time. Lets see where everyone is at when the next reporting period comes around, and more importantly, in February and March when the real campaign begins. As far as Miller coming on this blog to answer a simple question, I'm glad to see that you speak for him. So why don't you answer the question for him?

[Been Around]

Who cares who Jim Silva endorses?

[AD71]

Neil Blais will take AD71 seat. Neil is supported by good people and he is honorable Republican.