ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Mittermeier, Dundon Both Regarded as Strong Managers : Profiles: Airport chief started as auditor with county. Retired superintendent led district through era of change.

As the county Board of Supervisors moves closer to selecting an interim chief executive, one candidate abruptly dropped out of the running Wednesday and endorsed corporate rescue artist Sanford C. Sigoloff, who is considered the clear favorite.

The withdrawal of lawyer Hugh Hewitt, a television and radio talk show host, narrows the immediate field of candidates to three, including Jan Mittermeier, director of John Wayne Airport, and Ed Dundon, retired superintendent of the Garden Grove Unified School District.

Board members have said they plan in the next two weeks to fill the post vacated by County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider, who they demoted last week because they were dissatisfied with his recovery plans in the wake of the Dec. 6 bankruptcy.

The interim manager will stay for up to nine months while county officials conduct a nationwide search for a permanent leader.

Hewitt, former assistant counsel to the White House during the Ronald Reagan Administration and a past executive director of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace, did not return phone calls Wednesday. But Supervisor Marian Bergeson, who is supporting Sigoloff, said Hewitt had decided to “defer to Sandy.”

“From the conversation I had with him, he just said he was withdrawing from consideration in support of Mr. Sigoloff,” Bergeson said.

Supervisors William G. Steiner and Gaddi H. Vasquez, who nominated other candidates, also have said they are leaning toward Sigoloff, a former Builders Emporium executive.

Sigoloff met with supervisors individually on Saturday and has said that he is assembling a team of financial specialists and business consultants to help him do the job.

The full board will begin interviewing the candidates this afternoon, but the list of candidates still may grow.

Late Wednesday, the names of several other potential candidates were being discussed by supervisors. They are former U.S. Sen. John Seymour; former Unocal Chairman and CEO Richard Stegemeier; and William J. Popejoy, former chairman and CEO of American Savings and Loan.

Popejoy, an Orange County resident, was brought in to direct the successful rescue efforts of American Savings and Loan in 1984, after the Federal Home Loan Bank Board fired Chairman Charles Knapp. Popejoy is currently chairman and owner of Western Financial Printing Co., in Santa Fe Springs.

Jan Mittermeier, 55, Director of John Wayne Airport

Mittermeier started with the county in 1974 as the first female auditor, earning $12,000 a year. She served as assistant airport manager in 1987 before the supervisors appointed her to the top post shortly after the new terminal opened in 1990.

One of the few female airport directors in the country, she is known as a tightfisted administrator who inspires solid devotion among her employees. Mittermeier came to John Wayne Airport without a background in aviation but has demonstrated a knack for handling its unique challenges.

In 1991, she flew uninvited to join a meeting of the Federal Aviation Administration and pilots, in order to learn, listen and ultimately ensure that the airport maintained its stringent noise limits--some of the toughest in the country. She quickly won the respect of top FAA administrators. She has also earned a reputation in the county for her methodical style.

During the Gulf War period, when flights dropped dramatically at the airport, she cut expenses. And as part of her administration, she banned her employees from taking upgrades or free trips offered by airlines, small plane owners or airport vendors.

Mittermeier has had to delicately balance constituents, seeking to satisfy an increasing demand for air travel while minimizing the noise impact on the surrounding community.

Born in Toleson, Ariz., Mittermeier is married and has two grown children. She is a certified public accountant, and received a bachelor of science degree in accounting and a master of science in business administration from Cal State Long Beach. She has a certificate in executive management from UC Irvine.

ED DUNDON, 63, Former superintendent of Garden Grove Unified School District

Dundon retired at the end of 1993 after two decades in the district’s top post. He has been praised as a straightforward and steady-handed administrator who kept the district financially stable.

He joined the Garden Grove district as a math teacher in 1961, after teaching for several years in Pennsylvania. He became assistant principal at Garden Grove High in 1965 and was later promoted to assistant superintendent for personnel.

In 1973, he took over as acting superintendent and in 1974 he accepted the post on a permanent basis.

Dundon was born in 1932 in Edinboro, Pa. Married, he has no children.

When asked his pet peeve in a newspaper profile years ago, Dundon responded: “Those who continually maintain that ‘it is someone else’s responsibility.’ ”

His favorite motto at the time: “Duty: A task we look forward to with distaste, perform with reluctance and brag about ever after.”

He guided the school district through 20 years of sharp demographic change, as it metamorphosed from a predominantly white district to a mix of Anglo, Asian and Latino students. When he retired from his post a little more than a year ago, he said it was time to pass the torch.

A former Marine Corps lieutenant, Dundon has a doctorate in educational administration from the USC; a master’s degree in physical science from Penn State University, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Edinboro State University, in Pennsylvania.