Steiner Won’t Run for Seymour’s Seat : Elections: The Orange councilman says he can’t leave his duties as executive director at the Orangewood Children’s Home for abused and neglected youth.

Orange Councilman William G. Steiner, a prospective Republican candidate for the special election to replace former Anaheim state Sen. John Seymour, announced Monday that he will not run.

Steiner, who had organized an exploratory committee, said he decided over the weekend that he could not leave his duties as executive director at the Orangewood Children’s Home for abused and neglected youth while the facility is launching a major expansion project.

Steiner’s departure leaves a field of 12 candidates who met Monday’s deadline to register for the March 19 special election.

Assemblyman John R. Lewis (R-Orange) is expected to receive the biggest boost from Steiner’s decision because the support base for both men came from the city of Orange.

But Lewis will face eight other Republicans including two colleagues from the Assembly--Doris Allen (R-Cypress) and Nolan Frizzelle (R-Fountain Valley).

The other Republican candidates are Dana Reed, Orange County transportation commissioner; Charles V. Smith, mayor of Westminster; William A. Dougherty, an attorney and retired Marine from Villa Park; John Parise, a Santa Ana attorney; James B. Ruth, an Anaheim businessman, and Jim Wronski, a military veteran from Orange.

Seymour’s 35th Senate District is predominantly Republican and only one Democrat filed for the office--Frank Hoffman, a trustee on the Orange County Board of Education from Anaheim.

The other candidates are Libertarian Party member Eric Sprik, a dry-cleaner in Costa Mesa and Maxine Bell Quirk of the Peace and Freedom Party, a retired businesswoman from Orange.

The special election is scheduled for March 19. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held May 14 between the top vote-getters from each party.

Seymour, a former Anaheim mayor, served in the state Senate for eight years before Gov. Pete Wilson appointed him last month to fill Wilson’s U.S. Senate seat.

Seymour’s district includes the cities of Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa, and parts of Irvine, Huntington Beach, Villa Park, El Toro, Fountain Valley, Westminster and Tustin.