Anaheim : Councilman Ben Bay to Seek Mayor’s Post

City Councilman Ben Bay on Tuesday announced his candidacy for mayor.

A councilman since 1979, Bay is running for the seat of Donald R. Roth, who is seeking a seat on the county Board of Supervisors in the November election.

Irv Pickler, the current mayor pro tem, also is running for mayor on the November ballot.

Bay, a quality assurance project administrator for Rockwell International in Anaheim, said he advocates “less government” and criticized what he called “secrecy in government.”

While the council has the legal prerogative to discuss certain issues in closed sessions, Bay said, he would prefer to have them discussed in the open. Last year, for example, he advocated disclosing how much the city had spent in its ongoing litigation with the California Angels. Other city officials refused, and it wasn’t until recently that the city disclosed its main lawsuit with the Angels has cost Anaheim more than $3 million thus far.

Pickler also will be running for reelection to his council seat. In Anaheim, council members can run simultaneously for reelection and for the mayor’s post.

Two other council seats also will be up for grabs. Miriam Kaywood and E. Llewellyn Overholt Jr. have not yet announced whether they will run for reelection. Bay’s term expires in 1988, as does Roth’s council term.

Other Anaheim residents who have announced that they are running for one of the three council seats are Planning Commission Chairwoman Charlene LaClaire and community activist William Ehrle.

The mayor is paid $800 monthly, and council members earn $400. Residents can file candidacy papers between July 14 and Aug. 8.