As my fellow blogger Adam Aleman just reported, former FR Blogger and Bill Postmus Chief of Staff Brad Mitzelfelt has officially taken a seat in the big chair, becoming the newest Supervisor in San Bernardino County.
That Brad was chosen over the other applicants is both a good thing for the constituents of the 1st Supe District and for conservatives at-large.
With the appointment now out of the way now though, all eyes turn towards the actual campaign for the seat next year.
The appointment process hasn’t historically lent itself kindly to re-election in SB. From what I can gather, the last successful appointee-turned-elected Supervisor was decades ago.
Even more pressing in the immediate though is whether Brad even has any intention of seeking election to stay on the Board past next November.
Whether or not he does – and not to put words in his mouth, but I have heard from many informed folks who say he isn’t going to – there will almost certainly be a crowded field for this race in ’08 (at least partially comprised of the other applicants).
In any event, an early front-runner has to be Mark Kirk, Chief of Staff for Supervisor Gary Ovitt. Mark, a former staffer to George and Sharon Runner and close friend of newly elected Assemblyman Anthony Adams, has already taken the first steps towards running by opening a campaign account.
As a President of several PACs, he raised close to half a million dollars last cycle that benefitted over two dozen local Republican candidates. He’s also been active in County politics for years, building relationships with grassroots leaders throughout the District.
There’s no doubt a lot that will unfold in this race between now and 2008. But at the moment, both the conservative pick and the smart pick has to be Mark Kirk.