FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Tiebreaker Needed, New Lawmaker Says

Howard Stephens, the newest Fountain Valley city councilman, decided enough was enough.

After watching the council struggle for nearly two months to replace ousted Mayor Fred Voss, Stephens agreed to serve if appointed.

And Tuesday night the council unanimously selected Stephens to fill Voss’ seat.

“I really wanted to do something to get the whole thing resolved,” said Stephens, 72, Fountain Valley’s former city manager and finance director. “They need a fifth member. Having an even number on the council just wasn’t the ideal situation.”

Since November, when voters recalled Voss, the council tried twice to fill his seat but both times wound up deadlocked over candidates. To break the stalemate, Stephens said he told Mayor Laurann Cook that he would serve.

“I thought there has to be a way around this, so I approached Laurann with the idea first,” Stephens said. “I’ve worked with each of the council members during my years with the city and just thought I would be an acceptable fill-in that they could agree on.”

Stephens said he has no plans to run for reelection in November when Voss’ term expires: “I felt strongly that whoever filled the seat should not run again in the November election. They would have too much of an advantage over challengers if they kept a good record.”

Voss, an outspoken public figure, was recalled after he was convicted of soliciting sexual favors in 1989.

When Voss was recalled, voters also decided that the council should find a replacement.

Mayor Cook said she was troubled when the council deadlocked over several candidates: “I think the city told us through their votes that they expected us to fill the vacancy, and we owe them that.”

In recent weeks, businessmen John McKnight and John Collins emerged as the top contenders, but council members could not agree on who would be the best choice.

“I am happy this is over, but I am disappointed in how it turned out,” said Collins, who narrowly missed winning a council seat in November, 1988.

“I felt that because I was so close to being elected to the council during the last election, that it should have been an obvious choice for the seat,” he said. “Two people just didn’t want me on there, so this is, I guess, the next-best alternative.”

Stephens said that after his selection to the council, he received a call from Voss congratulating him on his appointment.

“This certainly isn’t a pleasant way to get here,” Stephens said. “I’ve known Fred for about 10 years and hated to see what happened happen.”

Stephens and his wife of 50 years have two children.