Stanton Takes Helm in Midst of Storm : * New County Board Leader Faces Sea of Problems

Roger R. Stanton, elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1980 and having served a previous stint as chairman, could hardly have become chairman again at a more difficult time. So daunting are the budgetary and other problems facing Orange County that merely treading water in 1992 may look like progress.

Despite these challenges, Stanton must lead the board forward on such complex subjects as jail overcrowding, indigent health care, campaign financing and landfills. In addition, Stanton will probably be presiding over even further cutbacks of some important programs. To meet these challenges, Stanton will need, in the words of outgoing chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez, to “be strong, be firm and be of good cheer.”

Stanton is intelligent, and has a good record of strong leadership along with a solid grasp of the problems facing the county in 1992. He will need all his skills.

One holdover from last year, for example, is the issue of a new jail. While there will be some increases in cells this year as long-planned expansions come on line, the question of a much-needed additional facility lost ground during 1991 when the board abandoned its chosen site in Gypsum Canyon near Anaheim Hills. A report to the board on short-term options is due soon, but that will not resolve the problem of how to add the thousands of cells needed in the long run.

Among the other major decisions before the board will be charting a course for the county’s landfill needs and administering a public health system that was completely reconfigured last year by the state Legislature.

Regarding campaign financing, the board, with Stanton’s strong support, took a step in the right direction last week by voting to put on the June ballot a reform measure that will put a cap on the amount contributors can give to candidates for countywide office.

A bit of personal advice to the new chairman on leadership style is in order. Many who attend board meetings have regularly witnessed him dressing down staff and even members of the public who appear before the board. For example, during one tense meeting last year in which the board was forced to approve painful budget cuts of favored programs, Stanton publicly excoriated members of the county’s financial staff by demanding fiscal information on the spot. In his leadership role, we urge him to be accommodating, to build bridges and to lighten up. If the county is to meet the difficult challenges of the coming year, cooperation must start at the top.

The tough issues before the county this year will present the Board of Supervisors with unprecedented challenges, and give Chairman Stanton an opportunity to show his mettle as a leader. We wish him and the rest of the board much success in what shapes up as a very trying year for Orange County government.