In Some Races, the Seats Outnumber the Hopefuls

Susan Mas is a little disappointed. Talking to parents and students, and in candidate forums, she is trying to let voters know what kind of trustee she will be for the Laguna Beach Unified School District.

The only catch is that no one is running against her.

Mas is one of 65 people throughout Orange County--mostly incumbents--who have been appointed to office in lieu of an election because, as county Registrar Al Olson said, “there weren’t any more candidates than there were people to be elected.”

Ten other people will be appointed by the county Board of Supervisors before the end of November to fill elected positions for which there were no candidates. In 1983, Olson said, a total of 73 candidates were appointed in lieu of elections.

Although most school district seats are contested this year--83 out of a total of 94--there are only 32 of 97 special district seats appearing on the ballot. The remaining seats are all being filled by appointments in lieu of election.

While running unopposed might seem a politician’s dream, several candidates for vacant seats, like Mas, feel that voters benefit more from having a choice.

“I would have preferred to have had someone run against me,” Mas said. “Campaigns help clarify the issues, and they help clarify what voters are thinking. And even though it’s exciting to run for office, it’s more fun to mount a campaign, too.”

Vernon Evans, a former City Council member and mayor of Santa Ana, was also a little disappointed that his incumbency on the Rancho Santiago Community College District board of trustees was not challenged.

“This is the first time this has ever happened to me,” Evans said. “I think the district deserves people to come forward. I think the voters deserve to hear differing opinions. New blood is always good.”

Robert Lyons, a former mayor and treasurer of Placentia, is another before-election-day winner. The newest member of the Placentia Library District governing board, Lyons said he did not plan to run a campaign anyway.

“The incumbent, who was doing a good job, decided not to run again, and in looking around for qualified candidates I realized I was one. I guess no one wanted to make a campaign out of it.”

Lyons does see some benefit in not having a contested election: the library district saves the $12,000 it would have spent in tabulating votes.

Returning for a second term on the North Orange County Community College District board, attorney Nilane Lee said: “It’s a very nice feeling not to be challenged.” She challenged an incumbent in 1981 to win her first term.

“I will immodestly take this reelection as an approval of the job I’ve been doing,” Lee said. “It certainly frees up a lot of time to attend to my duties as board president, but I hope it’s not symptomatic of some greater apathy.”

Mary Ellen Blanton, superintendent of the Yorba Linda Unified School District, is also counting her blessings. The three school board incumbents up for reelection this year have been retained without having to mount campaigns.

Blanton credits a degree of apathy for the dearth of challengers, and feels that if there were some volatile issues, challengers might have surfaced. Still, she’s happy not to have to wage a campaign.

“I think it’s great,” Blanton said. “The board members don’t have to take time away from their duties, and I think it’s a nice endorsement of the job they’ve done.”