Let's face it: We vote for experience, for competency, and for candidates who can get the job done. But we also vote for people. Public servants have private lives, little-known talents, and personal stories that can help you decide what kind of person they are and how they might lead. As we get down to the wire and you're deciding whom to vote for, here are a few things you might not know about me—but they might help you get to know who I am as a person.

1. I'm related to a four-time Academy Award nominee! Agnes Moorehead is my father's third cousin (that side of the family added the "e" some time in the 1800s). Common grandparents date back to 1893. A genealogy study confirmed it. You may know my "cousin Agnes" best as Endora, the overly-dramatic grandmother in Bewitched. But she also received four Best Supporting Actress nominations for her film roles.

2. The B in William B. Moorhead isn't what you might think. No, it's not for William "Bill" Moorhead, as I'm listed on the ballot. My middle name is Buchanan, a multigenerational family name. In fact, some very close friends only know me as "Buck" or "Bucky."

3. Before I wanted to be a "Water Guy," I wanted to be...a rock star! I've played bass guitar since I was a teenager, most notably playing in a band when I was 18 that opened for Joe Walsh and The James Gang. I briefly entertained playing in a band full-time after college—before I came to my senses! I've also played multiple times at The Coach House, and opened for many acts you may have actually heard of—like Robben Ford, The Tubes, Roy Buchanan—and my idol John Mayall...twice!

4. I made a splash on the Central Coast. While I was managing the water treatment plant in Santa Barbara, I was selected as state-recognized "1981 Operator of the Year" in sewage treatment by the California Water Environmental Association (CWEA). This was also the period when the great Gene Hackman bought me a drink... though that's a story for another day!

5. Speaking of buying drinks...that's how I met my wife. We probably would have never met if it hadn't been for our mutual love of live music...me playing it and her enjoying it. My band was playing at a blues competition in Long Beach, where she lived, and she was there to see another band. I couldn't stay and get to know her properly, because I had to help facilitate getting water over to Yorba Linda during the Anaheim Hills fires (that's what dedicated water professionals do on a Saturday night sometimes!), so I left her and her friend money to buy drinks with—and my business card—and the rest is history!

6. I knew the Eisenhowers. (Well, sort of). The Presbyterian church our family attended while I was growing up in Gettysburg, PA, was the same one President Eisenhower attended when he was in town (his favorite pew is still marked with a plaque there!). My mother was the church organist, and she taught piano to the Eisenhower grandchildren, David and Susan, in our home in the afternoons. I was a curious 5-year-old, and would hang with the Secret Service agents in our living room while the piano lessons commenced. I was quite fascinated with their accompanying duffle bags full of guns...really!

7. I am an unofficial member of a very select "club." In fact, last time I checked I am the only one in California who is certified at the highest level in 1) wastewater and 2) water operations; holds a 3) professional civil engineering license; has a 4) master’s degree in civil/environmental engineering; and a 5) BA in Biology. What else could you hope for in a Director of a water district?

8. I got into trouble in high school...for long hair! In fact, I was pulled out of class when I was a junior and was threatened with suspension unless I got a haircut. My father, a college math professor with a doctorate in education, ran for school board after that—and won—to make sure no students were denied an education because of their looks.

9. I was a Model United Nations (MUN) booster club member at Mission Viejo High School. For the four years my daughter Sydney attended MVHS, I supported her involvement in this important learning experience. She's now a writer/marketing consultant in Austin, but I'm still a vocal supporter of the MUN and how it teaches young people about national and international relations. I've even encouraged MUN programs to explore ways they can "tap" into local politics...like (hint, hint) water districts!

10. I'm a political maverick. I often say true "conservatism" is about conservation, and true "liberalism" is about staying open-minded, so I don't think like other people do. I'm neither Democrat nor Republican. I'm here to do a job, and that job is managing our public resources, delivering safe, clean water to our community, collecting and treating wastewater efficiently and effectively, and making sure we have the water we need in drought, during fires, and for everyday use.

I'm OK with "non-traditional" families. I am a "dad" to Belle, a rescue Australian cattle dog mix, and to Toby, a rescue cat we call the "Ginger Gentleman." My wife kept her own last name when we married. She doesn't cook for me, and I don't do her yard work. But our family gets along just fine. Just don't ask where we all sleep!

11. And one more thing... I love anchovies...but only the filets, not the white shiny ones!