Lawsuit Filed Challenging Ballot Title of Coast Community College Board Candidate
Posted by: Jubal | 08/19/2008 12:34 PM
This came over the ol' transom earlier today:
Pirch, a liberal Democrat, is the hand-picked candidate of the faculty union.
Strouse acknowledged that these types of lawsuits are rare and difficult to win. The election code only allows a small window of time to file the case and document facts. "There's a great deal of time pressure and its costly. But recent Orange County School Board elections have demonstrated that ballot designations matter. The right to an election free from fraud is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. Mr. Boyd felt that it was time to protect that right. A win in this case would deter others who might be tempted to violate the election laws in the future
Robert K. Strouse, Dean of Taft Law School, announced today that a lawsuit has been filed challenging the ballot designation of a candidate for the Coast Community College District. Charlotte Pirch, who is president of an Orange Coast Chapter of the League of Women Voters, listed her profession as "College Professor/Attorney." Strouse stated that compelling information exists that will prove that Pirch has never been employed as a college professor or held any full-time teaching position.Another candidate for a Coast Community College District office is Lorraine Prinsky who lists her ballot designation as "University Professor." The difference, Boyd noted, between Pirch and Prinsky is that Prinsky is a professor. "She has earned her title as a full-time faculty member at Cal State-Fullerton with many years of full-time teaching experience. But how could the average voter tell the difference between Pirch and Prinsky."
David L. Boyd, who is running against Pirch, is the plaintiff. "There are many instances where reasonable people could disagree on what constitutes a proper ballot designation. I personally wouldn't challenge a designation that is not intended to deceive the voters. If a candidate was a full-time tenured faculty member but didn't formally hold the title "professor" I wouldn't object. But I consider Pirch to be a complete fraud. By her own admission, she's never taught full-time anywhere much less been awarded the title of professor. It's equally disturbing that a leader of the League of Women Voters, an organization that for decades has had a mission of providing accurate information to voters, would engage in such conduct."."
Pirch, a liberal Democrat, is the hand-picked candidate of the faculty union.
Strouse acknowledged that these types of lawsuits are rare and difficult to win. The election code only allows a small window of time to file the case and document facts. "There's a great deal of time pressure and its costly. But recent Orange County School Board elections have demonstrated that ballot designations matter. The right to an election free from fraud is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. Mr. Boyd felt that it was time to protect that right. A win in this case would deter others who might be tempted to violate the election laws in the future
CATEGORY:
2008 Elections
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
I'm glad that someone is trying to do something about the bogus ballot listings. Are there specific rules?
If this is accurate, the League of Women Voters involvement in this is a real laugh.
Jubal, the real issue in the election of the Coast Community College District board is Trustee Armando Ruiz, the pension double dipper who is trying to win re-election. Ruiz's actions in 2004, retiring from his part-time post as a Trustee and a full time job as a Counselor at Irvine Valley College, simultaneously, enabled him to double his pension, from $54,000/year to over $100,000/year. The legal loophole that Ruiz used to do this has been closed, but Ruiz has continued to serve on the Board, collecting his monthly paycheck, and his pension, all at the cost of the Coast District taxpayer. Ruiz is currently trying to gain the endorsement of the Orange County Democratic party. Hopefully, local party leaders will have the sense to rebuff Mr. Ruiz's bid for an endorsement - it would be an absolute travesty if he did receive the endorsement. How can this individual be endorsed by anyone? These issues are not partisan - they are about ethics and public service. The taxpayers of the Coast Community College District would be better served by new leadership in Ruiz's Trustee area. At least one of the candidates running for Mr. Ruiz's seat has a major focus on ethics and accountability. Perhaps Mr. Ruiz had this when he joined the board 25 years ago, but his actions and behaviors show that he has lost it. It's time for a change. Lorraine Prinsky, a true higher education professional, has the ethics, integrity and professional experience to serve the Coast taxpayers well. Voters should give her serious consideration ... she presents quite an alternative to the status quo that Mr. Ruiz currently stands for.