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Wagner tapped for chairman of OC Board of Supervisors
Orange County Jan 10, 2023
Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner. | Photo courtesy of the city of Irvine/Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
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Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner was chosen Tuesday as chairman of the board in a move that snubbed Supervisor Katrina Foley.
In a 3-2 vote, the board promoted Wagner from vice chairman to chairman and passed over Foley, who was next in line for vice chair, in favor of Supervisor Andrew Do, who was chairman in 2021.
Foley said she was “slightly disappointed that three of my colleagues disregarded precedent and passed me on the rotation for vice chair,” but, she added, she was “honored to serve my district and will continue to use my voice to advocate for the issues residents care about.”
Newly elected Vicente Sarmiento, who was sworn in Tuesday, nominated Wagner as chairman and Foley as vice chair.
“I’ve had the benefit of serving with all four” other supervisors as a member of the Orange County Transportation Authority, Sarmiento said. “They are all competent to chair a meeting and deserve to be in leadership.”
But Sarmiento said he favored following the normal rotation.
“Nothing against anybody, but it’s the logic I used as mayor (of Santa Ana) and other agencies I’ve served on,” he said.
Do issued a statement saying he was “confident that this board will continue to work together collaboratively under our new Chairman Don Wagner — as we work to make Orange County a great place to live.”
