Supervisors on Opposite Sides Again : Politics: Roger Stanton supports Huntington Beach councilman to succeed Harriett Wieder in 2nd District seat; Wieder is backing an ex-planning commissioner.

County supervisors Harriett M. Wieder and Roger R. Stanton are at odds again, this time over who should succeed Wieder when she steps down from her Huntington Beach-based seat next year.

Stanton said Monday he has pledged his support to Huntington Beach Councilman Jim Silva over Wieder’s handpicked successor, Haydee Tillotson, a former Orange County planning commissioner.

“If politics here has to suffer because of this, then let it suffer,” said Stanton, who claims he is backing Silva because of their longtime friendship and not because of any enmity for Wieder. “I’ll voice my opinion when I feel like it.”

Wieder said Stanton’s support of a candidate out of his district is extremely rare for a Board of Supervisors election and may be motivated by Stanton’s desire to form a future voting alliance on county issues.

“He’s really out of his district on this,” Wieder said. “Why would he get involved except for the fact that any candidate would owe him? . . . If Haydee wasn’t such a good friend, I would be staying clear of the race.”

Their decisions to support competing candidates in next year’s board election is yet another event in a political relationship between Wieder and Stanton that has been marked by public clashes.

Before assuming her role as chairman of the board in January, Wieder said Stanton attempted to block the transfer of power to her so that he could continue in the chairman’s role for another year. Other county officials confirmed Wieder’s version of events. Stanton has denied any such effort.

Only months later, relations between the two further soured after Wieder described Stanton as “a Hitler” when referring to his combative leadership style.

Denying he was attempting to undermine Wieder’s candidate, Stanton said his participation in a race outside his district was motivated only by his friendship with Silva, which dates to 1978.

“This is the best candidate for the 2nd District, and I’m not going to keep quiet about it,” Stanton said. He added that he has attended organizational meetings and provided political advice for the campaign.

“Jim Silva is a solid vote-getter and solid representative for constituents. . . . I have a lot of friends in Huntington Beach and maybe they can help him.”

Of the three board seats up for election next June--Districts 2, 4 and 5--the District 2 post in Huntington Beach has attracted more announced candidates than any other. Huntington Beach Councilwoman Linda Moulton-Patterson is also in the race with Silva and Tillotson.

Even with the election nearly a year away, the candidates have been making the rounds on the fifth floor of the Hall of Administration seeking endorsements from supervisors.

Silva downplayed Stanton’s involvement in his campaign, saying that Stanton has not been intensely involved in the “grass-roots” organizational meetings. “When we have needed information about issues within the county, Roger has been helpful,” Silva said.

Tillotson said she was not concerned with Stanton’s involvement in her opponent’s campaign.

“I’m busy running my own campaign,” she said. “I have no idea of what Roger Stanton is doing. I know very little of Roger Stanton.”

Wieder is providing advice on fund raising for Tillotson’s campaign. Earlier this year, in what was seen as a direct attempt to enhance Tillotson’s stature as a supervisorial candidate, Wieder appointed her to the Orange County Planning Commission. Tillotson resigned the post three months later to devote more time to her candidacy for the District 2 board seat.