Once-Active Ralph Clark Laid-Back in Retirement

Known by his silver hair, his homespun charm and his affectionate nickname as “The Big Guy,” Ralph B. Clark was once considered one of Orange County’s most invincible politicians.

He served on the Board of Supervisors for 16 years and before that was a councilman and mayor in Anaheim. He built his constituency by attending to details, such as making sure the sidewalks and street gutters remained in good repair. He was at the forefront of a lobbying effort that brought the Los Angeles Rams to Anaheim Stadium in 1980. In Buena Park, a regional park bears his name.

In 1985, however, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Clark was brushed by scandal.

As Anaheim fireworks manufacturer W. Patrick Moriarty pleaded guilty to corruption charges, Clark was one of five politicians accused of having been supplied prostitutes in return for granting the businessman special favors. Clark denied it and was never charged.

But citing his age, his health--he had two non-cancerous polyps removed from his colon--and the ongoing scandal investigation, Clark retired after the Jan. 5, 1986, meeting of the board.

“Being constantly linked to Mr. Moriarty’s legal problems,” he said at the time, “is bothersome and hurts a whole lot . . . after so many years of public service free of any whisper of impropriety.”

At 73, Clark now lives quietly in Anaheim, where he proudly tends a back-yard garden and manages some property.

“I have kind of kicked back, and there is only my wife and myself at home,” Clark said in a recent interview. “My youngest son has just graduated from college.”

Clark, born in Ohio, grew up in Los Angeles where he was an athlete in high school. He went to Loyola Marymount there, then joined the military before moving to Anaheim, where he opened a service station.

Clark says he sometimes longs for the faster pace of his days in politics. But he said he now enjoys his free time. He still owns his service station at the corner of Magnolia and La Palma avenues.

Of his years in the public spotlight, Clark said, “I did the best I could while I was there, and now I want to relax and enjoy my retirement as best as possible.”

The sting of the Moriarty scandal seems to still be with him; Clark declines to even reflect on that part of his past.

One former colleague who keeps in touch with Clark is the senior member of the county supervisors, Thomas F. Riley, with whom Clark served.

“He is doing well and looks good,” said Riley, who at 76 is running for another four-year term on the board. “Some people, when they go into retirement, lose their smile and their interest. Not so with Ralph Clark.”

Riley says that Clark still has a keen ability to tell funny stories.

“I call them ‘Clark jokes’ because I always laugh at them, but I’m not sure why,” Riley said.

“He is enjoying life,” adds Gary Granville, a former Clark aide who now serves as county clerk. “It is the best of times for him. Ralph is a fun guy. He’s a good ol’ boy.”

Clark said he wants to only be remembered as “a person who worked to preserve and further the quality of life for the citizens of Orange County.”

Current Supervisors Chairman Don R. Roth agreed: “When I was the mayor of Anaheim, he was on the Board of Supervisors, and when something had to be done, we went to Clark. He was very responsive. He’s a very good politician and a very good public servant.”

“Every time I talk to him he says he is busier than ever,” Roth said. “He likes working around the yard, gardening. I think he is really enjoying life.”

Roth’s political career has closely followed Clark’s. When Clark left the Anaheim City Council to serve on the Board of Supervisors, Roth successfully ran for Clark’s Anaheim seat. And both men have served as Anaheim mayor.

When Clark retired from the supervisors, Roth won the seat that Clark had vacated.

“The next time I follow him,” Roth quipped, “it will be into retirement.”