Stanton to Retire from Orange County Board of Supervisors

SANTA ANA — Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger R. Stanton, one of two remaining supervisors in office when Orange County declared bankruptcy, said Friday that he will not seek reelection when his term ends in December, 1996.

Elected in 1980, Stanton said the unprecedented financial crisis and the barrage of criticism that followed are not behind his decision. He said he wants to spend more time with his family and seek another career--possibly a run for Congress, maybe even writing a book about the bankruptcy.

“I’ve been talking this over with my wife for quite some time, since last summer,” when his mother died after a long illness, Stanton said. Her death caused him to reflect on his life and the role of a politician, he said. “Politics can be a career, but you shouldn’t make a career out of one office.”

But some observers wonder whether the former Fountain Valley mayor and college professor is simply facing the prospect that his political career is forever tarnished by the bankruptcy.

Of the five supervisors who were on the board when the county filed for bankruptcy Dec. 6, only Stanton and Supervisor William G. Steiner remain. Gaddi H. Vasquez, who most recently served as board chairman, stepped down Wednesday. The other two supervisors, Harriet M. Wieder and Thomas F. Riley, retired in December.