ANAHEIM : Simpson Won’t Seek a 2nd Council Term

A full three years before the end of his first City Council term, Bob D. Simpson said Tuesday that he will not seek reelection.

The 61-year-old councilman, who began his career with the city as a fireman in 1955 and has been an advocate of limiting council terms, said it is “time to do something else in my life.”

“I think I knew when I started this job that one term would be enough,” Simpson said. “I’ve been doing government business for a long time, and I’ve never viewed myself as a career politician.”

Simpson expects that his announcement would not immediately render him a lame-duck member of the council, but may actually strengthen his position.

“I don’t have to worry about re-election or about making anybody angry with the decisions I make. If anything, I think it will make me more independent, more effective,” he said.

Since his election, council members have credited Simpson with bringing a stabilizing influence to a council racked by political in-fighting.

Climbing through the ranks of city government, Simpson became fire chief in 1980, serving six years before becoming deputy city manager and then city manager from 1987 to 1990.

He was elected to the City Council last fall, garnering enough votes to replace longtime Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood.