NEW FACES : ‘I’ve Faced a Lot of Challenges . . . ‘

A few months ago, most of them were all but unknown to most county residents. But when the votes were tallied early Wednesday, they had marched into the limelight.

John F. Dean, a Whittier College professor of education; Joy L. Neugebauer, a veteran of the Westminster City Council, and James G. Enright, chief deputy district attorney, stunned incumbents by winning enough votes to force November runoffs. None captured a post outright, and two, Neugebauer and Enright, face uphill struggles. But these three will be among Orange County’s most talked-about and debated public figures in the next few months.

Frustration first drove Councilwoman Joy L. Neugebauer into politics: She had watched corruption creep into City Hall, forcing several council members into recall elections and leading to the suspension of a fire chief.

Fed up, the mother of seven sons and president of a Long Beach tool company threw her hat in the ring in 1968. She won a City Council seat and became one of Orange County’s first women to hold elective office.

Neugebauer, a lifelong Republican, ahas labored in that job ever since, building a reputation as a feisty fiscal conservative with a daring streak. A longtime colleague, Mayor Pro Tem Frank Fry, describes her as “a stickler for details, but one who likes to take a chance once she knows that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.”

In 1974, Neugebauer took a chance for higher office and failed, losing to David Rehmann in the 38th Congressional District campaign. She tried again in Tuesday’s election, and this time she landed in a runoff against three-term incumbent County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder this November.

Neugebauer said Wednesday that she thinks her chances are good, despite a distant second-place finish Tuesday and a light campaign war chest to overtake Wieder.

But Neugebauer said she’s undaunted by challenges. Widowed 15 years ago, she finished raising her sons--Donald Jr., David, Dennis, Douglas, Duane, Dann and Dale--by herself at the same time that she managed the tool company. “I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life,” she said, “and one was dealing with my husband’s death at age 49.”

To tackle her current campaign, Neugebauer is relying on what she trusts will be a solid political base in Westminster and a battle-tested grass-roots organization. In 1984, when Neugebauer became Westminster’s first popularly elected mayor, she defeated a field of rivals in a scorching contest. An endorsement from the local firefighters’ union helped her in that race, though it also drew charges that she was beholden to organized labor.

Since then, Neugebauer has taken some controversial stands, most notably her vote in 1986 to create a utility users’ tax. That position could provide Wieder with campaign fodder in this race. Neugebauer defended the vote, saying that the city’s finances were in doubt and that it “took courage” to enact the tax and trim city jobs.

Meanwhile, the councilwoman has continued her work with an array of volunteer organizations in and around the city. Her interests and commitments range from vector control to the local historical society, which she helped to save a barn from destruction and find private money to pay for its restoration.

“I lead a well-rounded life,” Neugebauer said, as she rose from three hours’ sleep to attend a local club meeting Wednesday. “I think if you’re going to represent people, you need to be out there with them.”

* Related stories: Challenges loom for incumbents facing November runoffs. B6.