ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Hearings on Moorlach Appointment Proposed : Treasurer: Bergeson wants oversight committee sessions next week, then supervisors’ vote Friday if he is deemed qualified.

SANTA ANA —  Supervisor Marian Bergeson has proposed holding hearings next week to consider the appointment of John M. W. Moorlach as the county’s new treasurer-tax collector.

Under the supervisor’s plan, an appointed five-member Treasurer Oversight Committee would hold the hearings on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, to be followed by a Board of Supervisors’ vote on Friday.

At least four of the supervisors already are poised to appoint Moorlach to the job. But they have been widely criticized for not expanding the selection process past Moorlach, the Costa Mesa accountant who was an early critic of the county’s high-risk investment strategies when he unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Robert L. Citron last spring.

Citron, who served more than 20 years as treasurer-tax collector, resigned Dec. 4, two days before Orange County became the largest government entity in U.S. history to declare bankruptcy.

In a memo to the other four supervisors, Bergeson sets up a timeline that would have the board considering the appointment one business day before the scheduled departure of interim treasurer Thomas E. Daxon, who plans to leave the county March 20.

Supervisor William G. Steiner said Friday that Bergeson’s plan appears to a good compromise between those who want to appoint Moorlach right away and those who want a wide-searching process.

“It’s the middle ground,’ Steiner said. “I think it will further legitimize the selection of John Moorlach. Hopefully, the community will feel better about the process than a flat-out appointment.”

Other supervisors were not available for comment Friday.

But the plan drew criticism Friday from the office of Sen. Lucy Killea (I-San Diego), the co-chair of the state Senate panel probing the Orange County financial fiasco.

“What Bergeson is talking about is a confirmation,” said Craig Reynolds, Killea’s chief of staff. “What’s missing is the search and screening process that should take place before you can narrow it down to one person.

“Everyone else says there should be more of a search. The only people who seem to have a problem with that is the Board of Supervisors and we can’t understand why.”

The Orange County Business Council is also upset with the plan.

“In essence, the decision has already been made,” said member Todd Nicholson. “The steps Bergeson is suggesting are helpful but the process is not as open as it should be.”

Last week, the board rejected a plan proposed by county Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy, and backed by Daxon to have a committee of five financial experts establish qualifications and criteria for the position and conduct a national search to fill it.

On Friday, Bergeson defended her plan, which still must be approved by the board Tuesday.

“What we need to do is assure the public that whoever we appoint is qualified,” she said. “If it is found that (Moorlach) isn’t qualified, then we select another nominee.”

The Treasurer’s Oversight Committee would include representatives from each supervisorial district. They include William Mawhorter of Allegiance Capital for the 2nd District; Parker Kennedy of First American Tile for the 3rd; Blake Christian of Holthouse, Carlin, and Van Tright for the 4th; and Jeffery M. Thomas of Van Kampen Merritt Management, for the 5th. No has been tapped for the 1st District yet.

Bergeson represents the 5th District and is a Moorlach supporter. She also supports the appointment of Thomas--a Tustin city councilman who is a close friend of Moorlach’s and worked on his campaign to unseat Citron--to the panel.

Bergeson said she selected Thomas because of his financial expertise and has no plans to appoint someone else to the committee.

“I’m sure Jeff will take the appropriate action if it’s a question of abstaining on a vote,” she said.

The committee’s two hearings at the Hall of Administration would be moderated by former state Treasurer Thomas W. Hayes, who was director of the county’s restructuring efforts during the early days of the bankruptcy crisis.

The first hearing would be used to generate a statement of qualifications and experience for an appointee. The second hearing would be a public forum to direct questions to Moorlach.

After the second hearing, the committee would vote on whether Moorlach meets the qualifications for the office and report the vote to the supervisors, who would meet Friday to consider an appointment.

“I believe this format will enable (Moorlach) to present his credentials in an open and public setting and in light of the environment that has been impacted by what I believe to be highly partisan criticism from members of the State Legislature who have questioned his proposed appointment,” Bergeson wrote her colleagues.

The post of treasurer-tax collector is an elective position. Citron was the only Democrat in countywide elected office. Moorlach, who has been active in local Republican Party politics, would either serve for the rest of Citron’s four-year term or until the next general election.