My county sources tell me that if Sheriff Mike Carona resigns, the Board of Supervisors will very likely appoint retired Assistant Sheriff Doug Storm to serve as a caretaker sheriff until a permanent sheriff is elected by the voters. That tracks with what I gauge to be the prevailing sentiment among the Supes to appoint a caretaker rather than someone who will stand for election.
For those keeping score at home, Storm was briefly the designated champion of Sheriff Brad Gates and the AOCDS to battle then-Marshal Mike Carona for the job back in 1998, before he bowed out and that mantle fell upon then-and-now Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters (himself a likely candidate for sheriff).
Storm had been appointed Assistant Sheriff by Brad Gates, and once elected, Carona re-appointed him.
An interesting wrinkle to a Storm appointment: he has been an active and vocal supporter of the county retirees' fight against the restructuring of the medical retiree program.
He would be a good choice. But my sources tell me that Doug Storm has absolutely no intentions of being sheriff. But when one is practically stripped of his promised medical insurance, he might have had a change of heart. Maybe he will make a statement soon?
Posted by: Semper fi | November 13, 2007 at 08:20 AM
And I keep hearing the BOS is going to appoint Ken Maddox as the caretaker. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Posted by: Maddox for Sheriff | November 13, 2007 at 09:25 AM
I think Ken Maddox would be an excellent choice. He is a very loyal and thoughtful friend and I think he would bridge the gap and bring the department folks together during this upheaval.
Posted by: Top Gun | November 13, 2007 at 09:29 AM
I am reluctant to weigh in on this little Ken Maddox boomlet because it could well be tongue-in-cheek. However, at the risk of not getting the joke, let me say that picking an ambitious, controversial City Councilmember to be a care-taker Sheriff would be a terrible idea. Talk about a morale deflator for the troops.
No...it sounds like Mr. Storm, or someone of his ilk would be an excellent choice. But first, Mr. Carona must do the right thing and resign.
Posted by: Bye Bye Mike | November 13, 2007 at 09:55 AM
Bye Bye - Ken Maddox is not a councilmember.
Posted by: Flowerszzz | November 13, 2007 at 10:11 AM
See...I told you I wouldn't get the joke.
Posted by: Bye Bye Mike | November 13, 2007 at 10:47 AM
I don't think Maddox is The Board Chair's favorite person.
Posted by: redperegrine | November 13, 2007 at 10:57 AM
Maddox apparently does not qualify for the same reason Spitzer does not: no recent active full-time duty.
Posted by: won't work | November 13, 2007 at 11:34 AM
If past elections are the judge a replacement Sheriff will be decided by the OC GOP and Lincoln Club. But then again isnt that how we ended up in this mess in the first place? Look at what is going on with Moorlachs self appointed Treasurer Chriss Street. Will this County ever learn from its mistakes?
Posted by: | November 13, 2007 at 12:14 PM
It appears that this County has demonstrated what happens when one single party dominates the political landscape. We have a two party system in place to provide the necessary checks and ballances and disagreement to create a healthy atmoshphere for the citizens. Whether Democrat or Republican total domination creates an atmoshere that political figures are untouchable.
If Carona resigns, which is a monumental if; the Board of Supes should be very careful about who they appoint. An appointee from the good old boy club has political disaster written all over it for this board.
Posted by: | November 13, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Ken Maddox would be a great choice, if the Sheriff is expected to run DARE puppet shows.
Posted by: Art Pedroza | November 13, 2007 at 12:32 PM
Who the heck is Ken Maddux? How about a truely suprise move by the BOS and appoint a minority to head the department? Maybe a African-American or Asian-American. that could lead to a fresh start.
Posted by: | November 13, 2007 at 04:02 PM
Appoint a black or an Asian simply because they are black or Asian? Wow. Now that's ignorant. See how well Willie Williams and Bernard Parks did for L.A.P.D.? Yeah. That worked out really well (tongue firmly in cheek).
Why don't we pick highly qualified first, and then worry about political correctness later? Oh, because that's not the social-driven agenda the ignorant or democratic party voters support.
Posted by: Politically Incorrect | November 13, 2007 at 07:16 PM
I don't see why the supes want to control the ocsd. the investigation showed no problem with the current sheriff's dept so why don't they just let the undersheriff and assistant sheriffs do their jobs that they have been trained for.
Posted by: Derek | November 13, 2007 at 08:20 PM