Simi Council Divided Over Replacement for McAdoo : Politics: Two members favor a Republican and two back a Democrat. They favor an appointment to save the cost of a special election.

The day after Simi Valley City Councilman Glen McAdoo announced that he would be stepping down, his colleagues were on the phone rounding up candidates for the vacant seat.

They called Simi Valley attorney and former City Councilman Robert O. Huber and County Transportation Commissioner Jim Dantona. Both men said they were interested in the job.

Last week McAdoo, whose retirement from the council was prompted by a job transfer, said goodby to the council.

The remaining members must decide now whether to appoint someone to fill his position or to call a special election in April. They said they prefer to appoint someone because an election would cost $20,000 to $30,000, and the winner would serve only until next November, when McAdoo’s term expires.

However, the council remains split over who should succeed McAdoo. Mayor Greg Stratton and Judy Mikels, both Republicans, have lined up behind Huber, also a Republican, while Republican Bill Davis and Libertarian Sandi Webb favor Dantona, a Democrat.

Strong friendships and party loyalties have caused the split, although the council position is nonpartisan.

“I’m not going to back a Democrat,” Mikels said, adding that she couldn’t understand how Davis, who recently switched parties to become a Republican, could support Dantona.

“Bill is a Republican now,” she said. “But he’s not sending the right signal to the Republican Party: ‘Yeah, I joined, but I don’t love you anyway.’ ”

Davis said Dantona is simply more qualified for the job.

“It has nothing to do with politics,” Davis said, although Dantona supported Davis in his unsuccessful run against Vicky Howard for county supervisor last year.

“We’re talking about a nonpartisan race,” he said. “I vote for the person who can do the job.”

Dantona, who works as a government affairs consultant to developers, said that ever since McAdoo announced his retirement from the council he has been deluged with “calls from community activists, teachers and police officers” asking him to run for the vacant seat. Among the callers was his good friend Davis.

“I would accept an appointment,” Dantona said. “But if it came down to a special election, I’m prepared to run for the seat too. I’m committed to serving the city.”

Dantona said his three years of experience on the Transportation Commission and one year stint on a neighborhood council qualify him for the job. But he also pointed out that he served nine years as a top aide to state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles). He said his job required him to work closely with Los Angeles city and county government officials.

“Certainly I think this gives me some good understanding of how city government runs,” he said.

Dantona also formed a nonprofit organization, Baseballers Against Drugs, which recruits major league baseball players to speak to young people about the dangers of drugs.

As a county transportation commissioner he was responsible for putting together an eight-county summit on rail safety in the wake of the train derailment and toxic spill at Seacliff, he said.

“I’m a hands-on person,” he said, “and I will be a hands-on city councilman.”

But Stratton and Mikels said Huber has the edge on Dantona because he has served on the council before and has remained active in community organizations and campaigns.

“No one is saying Dantona doesn’t have credentials,” said Stratton, one of the people who phoned Huber to suggest that he consider trying for a seat on the council. “It just isn’t comparable to what Huber has. I’ve worked with (Huber). He has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and he is competent.”

Stratton said Dantona’s ties to Roberti, who is seen as an adherent to the liberal Democratic policies of the past, would probably hurt him more than help him in an area that is predominantly Republican.

“I think one has to ask how his experience in Roberti’s office is germane to the city of Simi Valley, which is a conservative Republican community,” Stratton said.

Huber, who is partners in a Simi Valley law firm with Russell Takasugi, son of Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, was elected to the City Council in 1980 and served until 1984.

He said he decided not to run for a second term for personal reasons. However, Huber was nominated by Stratton in 1986 to fill a vacancy on the council that resulted after former Mayor Elton Gallegly was elected to Congress.

After a bitter battle among council members, the panel finally chose Davis to fill the open seat. The swing vote came from then-Councilwoman Vicky Howard, whose longtime friendship with Davis soured when he challenged her last year in the supervisor’s race, which she won.

“I’ve been involved in the community for over 20 years,” Huber said. “I’m not a Johnny-come-lately.”

“My record speaks for itself,” Huber said, citing numerous organizations that he has presided over, including the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.

Huber said that when he served on the council he helped put together a plan to encourage developers to build low-cost housing. He said he also played a significant role in developing an industrial park on the city’s west end to attract more businesses.

“I was not a caretaker when I was on the council,” he said. “I made things happen.”

Like Dantona, Huber said he plans to run for the council if not appointed. He said he is ready for a tough campaign battle.

“I don’t mind a good horse race,” he said. “It’s fun.”

While Huber and Dantona’s names top the list of potential candidates for an appointment to the council, other names have been mentioned. They include Planning Commissioner Dave McCormick and attorney John Williamson, both of whom have run unsuccessfully for the City Council.

McCormick said if the council remains deadlocked over Huber and Dantona, he thinks that he has a good chance of being appointed. If not, he too plans to run next year.

Williamson could not be reached for comment.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the issue of a council appointment at its Nov. 18 meeting. The panel has 30 days to appoint an interim council member or call a special election to finish McAdoo’s term, City Clerk Alice Redondo said. The soonest an election could be held would be April 14, she said.

Despite the expense of an election, council members admit that it may be the best solution.

“That may be the cleanest way to do it,” Davis said.