Gabrielle Russon
With little fanfare, the Orange County Commission voted to resume making regular budget payments to the Supervisor of Elections Office, ending the two-month political drama that carried out very publicly until Glen Gilzean left office this week.
“I’m looking forward to a new day at the Supervisor’s Office,” Comptroller Phil Diamond told County Commissioners as he continues to probe how much money Gilzean spent in his final days of office.
Orange County officials feuded with Gilzean about his budget and accused him of inappropriately spending taxpayer money. In mid-December, Diamond reported that Gilzean spent 51% of his annual budget in 2.5 months and overdrafted his Office’s checking account by $590,000.
The County Commission voted last month to stop giving Gilzean his regular budget payments and instead paid Gilzean’s employees directly through a payroll management company after Gilzean complained he ran out of money.
Gilzean fought back and argued the county government was overstepping. He insisted he had power to make decisions as an independent constitutional officer and sued officials over the frozen budget payment.
Gilzean’s lawsuit against Orange County and Diamond to reinstate his budget payments was voluntarily dismissed this week since Gilzean’s last day was Monday. He did not run for a full term, so his replacement, Karen Castor Dentel, has taken over. Castor Dentel has scheduled a press conference Tuesday afternoon to speak with reporters.
“I personally look forward to working with her and making certain that we continue to have a harmonious relationship that we’ve always had with all of our constitutional officers,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.
Orange County officials accused Gilzean of spending recklessly, going beyond the scope of his duties to run elections, as he funded $2.1 million scholarships at Valencia College, job training at a local career center and more.
But Gilzean countered his initiatives were meant to tackle deep-rooted community issues and will boost voter engagement.
“Our mission has always been to ensure every voice is heard and every vote is counted, and last year, we brought that commitment to life in extraordinary ways,” Gilzean said in a prepared statement Monday.
