Three for Supervisor

The major candidates for the three Orange County supervisor posts in the June 3 primary election have been in the spotlight, either as elected officeholders or in community service, for many years.

Of the nine candidates, three stand out. They are Jerry M. Patterson, Harriett M. Wieder and Thomas F. Riley, all of whom belong on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Two, Wieder and Riley, are veteran board members who, on the basis of their past performances, have earned reelection.

Patterson, a former congressman and mayor of Santa Ana, seeks to replace 4th District Supervisor Ralph B. Clark, who is not running for reelection; Patterson should be elected. Like Wieder and Riley, he has much stronger credentials and is better qualified to fill the open seat than are three other candidates for the 4th District post.

Patterson served five terms in Congress. During that decade he was a leader in the fight for more adequate flood-control protection along the Santa Ana River. He was efficient, hard-working, sensitive to his own district’s needs and accessible to other parts of Orange County as well. As a result, many public officials would go to Patterson when they needed federal action rather than to their own representatives, and he usually came through.

Patterson’s knowledge of federal as well as local issues and his ability to recognize problems and act on them would add a new dimension that the board could use right now. The board needs Patterson, Riley and Wieder.

Riley, a retired Marine Corps general, has been on the county board since 1976. He’s not a polished politician. He usually says what he thinks and how he feels about things. We like his openness, but we also like the idea that he does think about things and feels strongly about people and their problems. He supports reasonable growth. But, while approving the construction of new homes, he has taken the lead in trying to provide more affordable housing in what is one of the wealthiest districts in the state and nation. At the same time, he worries about, and campaigns for money to help, the homeless and the hungry.

Wieder, completing her second four-year term, faces only token opposition. After eight years on the board, she seems more eager to assume a leadership role. Voters should give her that opportunity.

Harriett Wieder in the 2nd District, Jerry Patterson in the 4th District and Tom Riley in the 5th District are the best-qualified county board candidates on the June 3 ballot. We urge their election.