Since we are short a Central Coast correspondent, and I’ve spent some time over the last several months working races there, I thought I’d pick up some of the slack. In Ventura County ‘The Mother of All Supervisorial Battles’ between Republican Peter Foy (disclosure: Coronado Communications client) and Democrat Jim Dantona appears to be coming to close as the remaining absentee votes are counted. On Election Eve Dantona led by a 300 vote margin… a lead which has deteriorated into a 700 vote deficit with about 40,000 votes counted and a couple thousand left to count.
Mike Osborn/Ventura County Republican Party were significant winners in this brawl. As long as I can remember the Ventura County Republican Party has been at best useless. Several weeks before the November Election Mike Osborn was elected Chairman and immediately took steps to make the organization relevant. In short, he actually raised and spent money to help elect his local candidates. Chairman Osborn’s biggest victory was clearly Peter Foy, where the Party spent tens of thousands of dollars making sure the seat would be held by a Republican as opposed to a partisan liberal Democrat. The biggest perks of this victory is that donors will now trust the local Republican Party, the Committee itself with some victories under their belt can now plan and work towards an even stronger showing next time instead of eating one another alive, and local officials are going to want to help.
One significant loser was Simi Valley City Councilwoman Barbara Williamson. A registered Republican with a long relationship with Dantona, she was his most aggressive supporter. She decided to go to the mat on this one, including helping put together negative ‘independent’ expenditures against Foy. Williamson has a decidedly mixed reputation in her Simi Valley hometown. She likes to play hardball. The problem is she proved to be playing out of her league, and near the end of the campaign her own allies and friends were leaking like tin cans Christmas morning after a ten year old kid gets a new Daisy BB gun. Note to Barbara: when you rule by fear there are always ‘friends’ just waiting for you to slip.
November 17th, 2006 at 12:00 am
This is the biggest bunch of baloney I have ever read in my life. Peter Foy should have had a very decisive victory given the demographics and all the money that was laundered through the VCRCC. Instead, he and you, Duane, participated in a squeaker. I don’t know how you managed that – it takes real talent.
And your comments regarding Mike Osborn and Barbra Williamson are crack-pipe material. Completely erroneous and laughable. I’m forwarding them to my good friends right now. I particularly like the ominous foreshadowing in your last line.
But the good news is that you did a disclaimer – unlike your previous columns on Ventura County.
November 17th, 2006 at 12:00 am
For those who missed the primary….
Peter Foy toppled the incumbent (Judy Mikels) back in June and
now has won the runoff election.
That is a lot of work to do in one election cycle.
November 27th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Conservative Jim Dantona first unseated a bad republican incumbent while Peter Foy did nothing in the primary. Then Dantona gave Foy a run for his money. Its so close that the race is still not over. However it looks like Foy will win. Let’s set the record strait: I know Jim Dantona because in 1997 I needed a good government relations person to help me with a client, it was the State Republican Party that referred me to Dantona. I have lived in Calabasas , near the Supervisorial District since the late 1970’s. In 2000 I was asked by a conservative who leads a vary large property rights origination to find someone who could unseat Judy Mikels. Enter Jim Dantona.!! Jim entered the race with the formal endorsement of both Tony and Audra Stricklind and the endorsement of three Republican Mayors in Ventura County.Tom McClintock personally told me of his respect for Dantona at the Jonathan Club during the race ( even though he supported Foy) Jim Dantona serves on the Chairman Club of the Reagan library. While Jim is not a Republican he has garnered the respect of Republican Leaders state wide independent of this election effort. Jim is not a Liberal !! His relationships with current Supervisors would have achieved conservative goals. By the way, Dantona has actually done something in the District.
Dantona facing a District with a 20k Republican voter registration lead was outnumbered from the beginning however, he was the one who defeated Mikels by attacking her on issues that resonated with Republicans. Ask Steve Frank who lives in the District and would have been part of the transition teem with me if Jim Dantona has conservative credentials. The nonpartisan nature of this office allows us Republicans to support the best candidate. We as republican strategists need to target, are limited resources in elections where are agenda is not well served.
As a movement conservative and like Jim Dantona I never want to be judged by those whom I have worked for. Jim is an independent thinker. I have only supported two Democrats in my life and have always support the most conservative candidate in the every race. With Jim we had a canadate who understood the working’s of government, coalition building, and had the vast public service experience commensurate with the office he was seeking.
By Marcus Allen Frishman