Nearly half of Orange County residents favor naming Costa Mesa accountant John M.W. Moorlach as the county's new treasurer, according to a Times Orange County Poll.
Moorlach, widely expected to be named to the post by the Board of Supervisors, was favored for the job by 49% of poll respondents, with 25% opposed. The remaining 26% were unsure.
Moorlach, a 39-year-old Republican, lost out in a June election to longtime Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron, who resigned last month after county officials disclosed massive investment losses that led to the county's bankruptcy.
Moorlach, whose past warnings about the county's risk-laden investment portfolio have gotten widespread attention in recent weeks, was the only possible replacement mentioned in the poll.
His appointment was favored by 55% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats. Twenty-one percent of Republicans said they opposed appointing him, while the figure for Democrats was 32%.
Moorlach's political standing has clearly risen since the crisis. During the election, he won just 39% of the vote. The post is held on an interim basis by Thomas E. Daxon, a former Oklahoma finance director. Moorlach has said he hopes to assume the job after tax season this spring.
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Moorlach Is Back
John M.W. Moorlach, rejected at the polls in June by a 3-2 ratio, now has the support of half the county's residents to be the new treasurer-tax collector. Republicans, particularly, back him.
Do you favor or oppose appointing John M.W. Moorlach, Robert L. Citron's opponent in the recent election for Orange County treasurer-tax collector, to fill the post vacated by Citron's resignation?
Total Democrats Republicans Favor 49% 43% 55% Oppose 25% 32% 21% Don't know 26% 25% 24%
Source: Times Orange County Poll
