3:30pm | In the April race for Long Beach City Prosecutor, one candidate is alleging that the other is “misleading” voters with his professional description.
Assistant City Prosecutor Timothy O’Reilly issued a press release today challenging the professional description of his opponent, Doug Haubert, who lists himself as “City Attorney/Prosecutor” on the ballot. O’Reilly believes that the term does not properly describe Haubert’s current occupation.
Haubert is a former Long Beach Deputy City Prosecutor and currently works for an independent law firm, Aleshire & Winder, LLP that provides attorneys to serve as City Prosecutor for client cities. Haubert’s professional bio says that he has served as the City Prosecutor for nine cities including Cypress, Signal Hill and Palos Verdes Estates.
O’Reilly’s press release states that City Clerk Larry Herrera said the ballot designation will not be changed unless the issue is challenged in court.
Haubert could not be reached for comment.
The full press release is below:
Long Beach, January 27, 2010: Assistant City Prosecutor, Timothy O’Reilly, filed a letter challenging the ballot designation of his opponent for the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s office on Wednesday. The challenge filed with the City Clerk alleges that the ballot designation requested by candidate Doug Haubert as “City Attorney/prosecutor” is inaccurate and misleading to voters as to the candidate’s real credentials. The ballot designation is the title that accompanies a candidate’s name on a voter’s ballot. California law requires that the ballot designation be a description of a candidate’s principal occupation, vocation, or profession, within the past year.
“He claims his principle occupation is as a ‘City Attorney/prosecutor.’ He is neither and those titles are undeserved. I had to file this challenge to try protect our voters from being mislead. Long Beach voters demand honesty and integrity in their candidates,” said Assistant City Prosecutor O’Reilly. The challenge points out that Mr. Haubert is a private attorney, in private practice, and not an employee of any city, county, state, or federal agency.
The City Clerk, Larry Herrera, said late Thursday afternoon, that Mr. Haubert’s ballot designation will remain unless the matter is challenged in court. Mr. O’Reilly commented “if Mr. Haubert wants to be truthful and say he is a ‘civil attorney,’ or a ‘lawyer,’ he could claim those titles as his designation. The fact that he is asking to be called the ‘City Attorney/prosecutor’ is simply wrong and misleads Long Beach voters.“
Assistant City Prosecutor, Timothy O’Reilly, and attorney Doug Haubert, are both running for the City Prosecutor’s office which is being vacated by current City Prosecutor, Tom Reeves.
More to come…