ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Steiner for the 67th Assembly District

Gov. Pete Wilson’s recent change of address to Sacramento from Washington, where he was a U.S. senator, triggered the chain reaction of open seats that led to today’s special state Assembly election in the 67th District.

The district is staunchly Republican, so the election has come down to a horse race between two leading GOP candidates in a crowded field.

Will the seat go to Mickey R. Conroy, a GOP activist from Santa Ana, allied with conservative ideologues? Or will it go to Orange Councilman William G. Steiner, an avowed fiscal conservative who is backed by supporters of Wilson?

There is a lot at stake here for Orange County, and for the state as a whole, even though this race is ostensibly an intramural contest between candidates claiming the conservative mantle.

The election is for the unexpired term of state Sen. John R. Lewis in a district that covers an area from Yorba Linda in the north to El Toro in the south and stretches from Silverado Canyon in the east to Orange in the west. The top vote-getter is likely to win against the lone Democrat, Gregory Robert Ramsay, a health-care manager from Santa Ana, if there is a need for a runoff election (which would be Sept. 17).

We think Steiner is the obvious choice. He has plenty of experience in local government, having served on the board of the Orange Unified School District as well as on the City Council. As former director of the Orangewood Children’s Home, he has a statewide reputation as an expert on child advocacy issues. His pro-choice stand is appealing. And most of all, he is a reasonable candidate, suited by temperament to give-and-take politics that can bring home the bacon for Orange County.

It’s clear, on the other hand, that Conroy would be a naysayer. In reference to Steiner, Conroy has said that “a moderate Pete Wilson candidate is not a candidate for Orange County�--a clear suggestion that Conroy wants to join the chorus of archconservative Republicans who have been giving the governor a hard time.

Steiner’s resume and attitudes suggest that he will be more open-minded, not just in dealing with the governor, but in working with others in Sacramento. That’s an approach to governing that is much needed in Sacramento during difficult budgetary times, and that will benefit the district too.