NAME: James Corbett
AGE: 65
RACE: State Assembly District 73
TITLE: Dr. (Ph.D.)
FAMILY: Wife of over 34 years- Kathryn, a daughter Quinn, and a son Seamus
EDUCATION: Ph.D. Ohio State University
KEY ISSUES: Equalization of state funds for CUSD. Currently, CUSD gets far less per student in state funding than the average district in Orange County
WORDS TO LIVE BY: The lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.
KEY ENDORSEMENTS: None-I haven't asked
CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: None, I'll be starting this Summer
CAMPAIGN FUNDS RAISED AND SPENT: (from county registrar, secretary of state site or feds) None
Here are some longer questions. Please limit your answers to 200 words:
- Why are you running? I'm running because Diane Harkey simply hasn't served the people of South County. She spends her time working on state wide issues, high speed rail for example, while local issues go wanting. Just look at her website, there is nothing on it that relates to service of constituents. Perhaps more importantly, Ms. Harkey is a crony capitalist who has been the object of a recall while serving Dana Point and is currently defending herself from charges of elder abuse and fraud in relation to her position as an executive in a mortgage bank. There are over 80 plaintiffs in the case and plaintiffs' lawyers have taken the case on contingency which is a measure of their confidence Harkey and her husband converted money from their bank to maintain their lifestyle, including a $7,000,000 dollar house in Ritz Cove. Harkey is a poster girl for everything that is wrong with American Politics. As a conservative Democrat, I can work with both parties and I will.
- What is the most important issue facing voters in your district, and where do you stand on that issue? The (Republican) leadership of S. County has failed to work for equalization of state funds for the CUSD. It is a crime that CUSD gets less money than Huntington Beach, Newport, Laguna Beach, Anaheim, et. al. and Harkey and her ilk have done nothing, perhaps because, for the most part, the children of our (Republican) representatives and senators send their children to private schools. The "I don't care" attitude is hurting our children and we need leadership on the issue. I will work to equalize funding, and as a (conservative) Democrat, I'm confident I can get help on the issue from the Democratic dominated legisture.
- Do you offer any pledges or promises to voters? I promise honest representation and with a focus on my constituents. I pledge to keep an open door policy for all interests in the 73rd District including business, education, consumer, environmental, social and religious.
- Will you share with us a little-known fact about yourself, something that might surprise even your family or friends? I lived and worked in Beirut, Lebanon in the early 80s during the Lebanese Civil War. My area of scholarly interest is terrorism.
