STANTON : Mayor Plans to Quit, Buy Home in Irvine

Stanton Mayor Paul G. Verellen has revealed he intends to step down from office in June and move to Irvine, where he might run for an elected post.

“It was a tough decision to make,” Verellen told the City Council on Tuesday. But he added that he might remain in Stanton if he does not close a deal on a house he is trying to purchase in the Deerfield area of Irvine.

Verellen, an executive at McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, was appointed to the council in May, 1986. He sought reelection the following November, and became mayor last year.

“Our lives have changed dramatically,” said Verellen, whose family has grown by two children during his tenure in Stanton. “We had to look at our own future. I’d like to spend some time with my family.”

But he did not rule out running again for public office if the house purchase closes and the family does indeed move to Irvine. He would not specify whether he was eyeing any particular political post or when he might run.

Verellen is expected to be succeeded in Stanton by Mayor Pro Tem David Shawver. Council members rotate positions among themselves every year in a largely symbolic move, while the day-to-day city business is handled by the city manager.