Not Political, but Not an Unknown

Your reference to me as a political unknown in a recent article couldn’t have been further from the truth (“Wieder Raising Eyebrows, Ire as O.C. Board Chairman,” March 25).

If you’re simply acknowledging I haven’t held public office, you’re right. But if you’re suggesting I don’t understand the problems facing Orange County or lack experience dealing with them, you couldn’t be more wrong.

I’m a local business person who has served as chairman of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Orange County Commission on the Status of Women.

As a local business person, I understand the problems facing business in Orange County and know what needs to be done to create jobs and rebuild our economy. As a local community volunteer, I also understand the need to improve education, provide access to affordable health care and fight crime.

I’m not a professional politician. I’m a concerned citizen who wants to give something back to the community. That’s what I’ve done my entire life--and that’s what I’m doing as a member of the Orange County Planning Commission.

HAYDEE VELAZQUEZ TILLOTSON

Huntington Beach