New steps along his path

Don Wagner becomes the Orange County Supervisor

Photo from electdonwagner.com

Earlier in March, Don Wagner became an Orange County Supervisor, of the third district. He beat democrat, Loretta Sanchez. This leaving the Board in a four-to-five republican lead.

“There’s a ton of stuff going on. Obviously homelessness was an issue that was big in the campaign” and has been big countywide Wagner said, adding: “There’s going to be no lack of things,” to do.

Wagner has been serving Southern California for two decades. He began in 1998 on the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees. He stayed here for three consecutive terms, and worked alongside Marcia Milchiker, a member of the Board of Trustees.

Milchiker, who I spoke to earlier this week, claims that Wagner is a hard worker. She also seemed to be excited that someone who had worked so closely with community colleges was now in a place to help them excel in various areas.

“I’m stepping forward to fight for Orange County families who deserve a genuine, proven leader who knows that excellent schools, low crime, a strong economy, low taxes, and a clean environment will move our region forward,” Wagner said to Voice of OC.

Wagner is seemed to be known as a straight shooter. During his time on the Board of Trustees he served six years as Board President. Milchiker has also been president, so she was able to shed some light on the loads of responsibility it comes with.

She said that a lot of people who want to move up in their industry have to get their start somewhere. She believes that he really went after it, moving from one position to a higher one.

After the board he went on to the assembly in Sacramento from 2010 until 2016. Later on he became the mayor of Irvine for two years.

“It is good to have somebody in higher office that cares about the community colleges and has really good experience with the community college because then they will work with you,” said Milchiker about Wagner’s experience.  “They will make sure you get the funding and help make sure you get what we need.”

It would be helpful to have someone in a higher position such as the Supervisor helping with the bigger issues on community college campuses in Orange county. These include mental health issues.

Wagner can be a good contact for Milchiker and other current Board members to stay in contact with, but he is also a good contact for the community. He cares about issues important to the community colleges and the community in general.

He has been a finalist for the Citizen of the Year award, been involved with the public irvine schools his children attended and several groups including serving on a number of different committees, including Budget, Health, Education, and Revenue and Taxation. He also served as president of the American Lung Association of orange County.

Don Wagner has been a long standing member of his community. He has stayed involved and held many public positions in the last 20 years. He was able to get The Great Park to begin renovations as mayor and even kept the cities budget balanced without increasing their taxes through all his years according to Voice of OC.

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