VanderKolk Rules Out a Try for 2nd Term : Supervisors: She says she’ll step down in December, 1994. She cites harsh criticism directed at her as the reason.

Ventura County Supervisor Maria E. VanderKolk announced Wednesday that she will not seek reelection to a second term because she is disillusioned by the bitter criticism she has received during her short tenure in office.

VanderKolk, 28, said she has decided, after months of soul-searching, that it would be in the best interest of her family if she stepped down from public office when her term expires in December, 1994.

“The stress can be enormous,” said VanderKolk, who represents a portion of the county stretching from Thousand Oaks to Port Hueneme. “I have seen people become violently angry over decisions I have made and I have wondered whether they were able to distinguish the politician from the person.

“It requires a certain kind of strength to make tough decisions and stand behind them through the inevitable, lengthy battles that follow.”

VanderKolk was elected to office in 1990, after narrowly defeating incumbent Madge L. Schaefer in one of the biggest upsets in county history.

Beginning about a year ago, VanderKolk began hinting that she might not seek a second term, spurring interest among a number of potential candidates.

So far, taxpayer activist H. Jere Robings is the only person to formally announce his candidacy for the position, which pays $64,543 a year, plus another $10,000 to $20,000 in perks. Thousand Oaks Councilman Frank Schillo said he is seriously considering entering the race.

VanderKolk aide Doug Johnson said he is also deciding whether to make a bid for his boss’s job, though he would have to leave his residence in Granada Hills and move into the district to qualify as a candidate.

Meanwhile, VanderKolk said she and her husband, Mike, an aerospace engineer, have been discussing the possibility of moving back to Colorado--where they both grew up--to raise their 2-year-old daughter, Kaitlin.

“At some point I certainly would like to” make the move, VanderKolk said. “But who knows how or when that would happen.”

VanderKolk’s announcement to step aside was greeted by both words of praise and disappointment from supporters and foes.

Known as an advocate of law enforcement, VanderKolk has endeared herself to the county Sheriff’s Department and district attorney’s office.

“I admire her greatly,” Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury said. “She is totally honest and has impeccable integrity--that’s refreshing for a politician. . . . It’s a sad day for the citizens of Ventura County.”

Supervisor Vicky Howard added: “I’m sorry to see her make this decision. I think she had a lot of potential. She has worked hard to serve her district.”

But VanderKolk has also alienated environmentalists--who organized her election effort--by compromising her position on Ahmanson Ranch, a large housing development she adamantly opposed during her campaign.

After taking office, VanderKolk suggested that developers consolidate Ahmanson Ranch and nearby Jordan Ranch in a single site in Simi Hills. While VanderKolk hailed the consolidation as a compromise proposal that has turned nearly 10,000 acres into public parkland, some environmentalists said they had been betrayed.

“We are real excited she is not running again,” said Mary Wiesbrock, director of the group Save Open Space and an Agoura Hills resident. “She went against her campaign promises on Ahmanson Ranch. She no longer represented the wishes of the people.”

Although VanderKolk considers the Ahmanson-Jordan deal one of her proudest moments, the intensity of the criticism that followed caught her off guard.

“Most decisions facing elected officials are not like Ahmanson,” VanderKolk said. “Most are smaller and seemingly less complex. Yet in my experience, their cumulative effect is more debilitating.”

VanderKolk said it became clear to her in March that she had had enough of the hostile attacks. VanderKolk and Supervisor John K. Flynn had proposed cutting the pay and benefits of most county employees to save money during a time of austere budgets.

But the proposal prompted a bitter outcry from county employees, who packed the board hearing room to voice their disapproval. Eventually, most of the suggestions from VanderKolk and Flynn were dismissed as impractical.

“The employees had a free-for-all,” VanderKolk said. “We were so viciously attacked. I would say in all honesty, from that day forward there was very little doubt in my mind that I really ever wanted to do this to myself again.”