Former Supervisor Schaefer May Run Again for County Board : Elections: She has picked up papers for the race and says she’ll have ‘a statement in a couple of weeks.’

Former Ventura County Supervisor Madge L. Schaefer, ousted from office by Maria VanderKolk in a tight race four years ago, has taken out papers to run for her old seat in the June election.

County elections officials said Thursday that Schaefer has picked up the forms to run for the seat representing the supervisorial district that stretches from the Conejo Valley to Port Hueneme.

Schaefer declined to comment on her actions, saying, “I’ll have a statement in a couple of weeks.”

But the former supervisor’s friends and supporters said Schaefer has been considering entering the race since VanderKolk announced several weeks ago that she would not seek a second term.

“She’s ready to get back into the world of politics again,” said Joan Young, owner of Young Realtors in Westlake Village and a longtime friend of Schaefer’s. “I think Madge did a great job before. I’m thrilled she is running.”

The race for VanderKolk’s seat is expected to be hotly contested. In addition to Schaefer, four other people have taken out papers to seek election. They include Thousand Oaks City Councilman Frank Schillo, taxpayer advocate H. Jere Robings, and Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council members Ron Stark and J. Paul Fredericks.

County officials caution that although Schaefer and others have taken out papers, they still have the option of not entering the race. The candidates have until March 11 to file the forms, which require 2,000 signatures or a filing fee of nearly $700.

Eight county positions, including sheriff and district attorney, will be up for election this year. Supervisor Vicky Howard plans to seek reelection and so far has attracted only one potential challenger, Simi Valley Councilwoman Barbara Williamson.

After losing to VanderKolk by fewer than 100 votes, Schaefer--who is known for her quick wit but sometimes quarrelsome manner--has sought other government positions.

In 1992, she ran against six other Republicans in a primary for the 37th Assembly District, which reaches from Thousand Oaks to Oxnard. Schaefer came in third--behind then-Oxnard Mayor Nao Takasugi, who went on to win the seat, and Alan A. Guggenheim, a French emigre who mounted an unexpectedly strong campaign with a surge of help from anti-abortion activists. Schaefer received 6,687 votes--19% of those cast in the election.

Last year, Schaefer sought appointment to the 1993-94 grand jury, but her application was rejected by the group of Superior Court judges who picked the 19-member panel.

In a routine background check, district attorney investigators asked VanderKolk and Schillo, a Schaefer nemesis from her years on the Thousand Oaks City Council, about the former supervisor. Both were asked to fill out a questionnaire detailing whether Schaefer should be included on the jury.

Schillo and VanderKolk on Thursday declined to comment on Schaefer’s decision to take out papers for the supervisorial race.

“I don’t have any thoughts at all on that,” Schillo said. “If she wants to run, that’s up to her.”