ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Workers Glad They Won’t Meet ‘Ming the Merciless’ : Reaction: County employees, frightened by Sanford C. Sigoloff’s reputation, express relief that he was passed over.

After weeks of worry, the county’s rank and file workers breathed a sigh of relief Friday that the man nicknamed “Ming the Merciless” would not be taking aim at their jobs.

But they worried that William J. Popejoy may not understand the workings of county government.

“Thank God it wasn’t ‘Ming the Merciless,’ ” assessor Larry L. Bales said of Sanford C. Sigoloff, a corporate turnaround specialist long believed to be the front-runner for interim chief executive officer.

“It put a fear in the people. We know there’s going to be cuts, but to have a guy who’s proud of his name ‘Ming the Merciless’ didn’t sit well at all,” he said. “We’ve got enough Mings up there who already screwed up. We don’t need any more.”

Sigoloff’s proposed $500-an-hour price tag also enraged employees, who have ridden an emotional roller coaster in fear of their jobs since the crisis erupted. Popejoy’s offer to do the job free, and work with county workers rather than a high-powered expensive staff of his own, appealed to employees.

“We thought (Sigoloff) was nuts wanting that much money an hour,” said one Sheriff’s Department employee who asked that his name not be used. “They’ve been wasting enough money. We thought if they had someone who is qualified to do the job and is willing to do it for free, they should go with him.”

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The 16-year employee said there has been plenty of talk about Sigoloff over the past two weeks.

“My office was real worried,” he said of Sigoloff.

Sigoloff is best known for his take-charge presence on Builders Emporium commercials, when he worked to revive that company. In 1982, he was brought in to rescue its parent company--Santa Monica-based Wickes--and promptly put the conglomerate into one of the largest Chapter 11 proceedings in history.

While there, he cut 10,000 jobs and adopted the nickname “Ming the Merciless” after the central villain in Flash Gordon comic books, a favorite from his youth.

Popejoy had not been widely discussed as the front-runner, or as particularly controversial, and his selection Friday was met with a slightly stunned suspicion from some workers.

“We don’t have much information. I just hope that this person--this Popejoy--can understand what we do in Social Services,” said Nikki Niznik, an eligibility counselor.

Outsiders may not appreciate the fact that the agency is saddled by mandates and matching fund requirements that make cuts extremely difficult, she said, explaining that cuts in county funding can jeopardize state money that flows to the agency.

“They look at our agency and it’s the biggest agency in the county, but they don’t really understand what we do,” she said. “Any deep cuts in our agency are just going to cripple the disabled and elderly and abused children we take care of.”

Niznik said she was surprised to hear that Popejoy was selected, and mused that perhaps he was chosen precisely because he has not stirred controversy. But she firmly believes someone with government experience would have better served the county.

“Private industry is just run so differently. We’re so restricted by government rules and regulations,” she said. “I think this Popejoy will probably have a hard time. But I think the county has to move quickly to do something to raise revenue.”

Bales, however, said he thought a private sector CEO could bring some needed credibility to the county. Popejoy may be able to slice some fat out of government without causing too much pain, simply by holding department heads accountable, Bales said.

“If you get an insider, there’s a lot of self-interest there--a lot of white elephants they really don’t cut,” Bales said. “Hopefully, this guy will look at the total picture, and say, ‘Hey, why are you doing this?’ ”

Labor leaders tried to share that optimism.

John H. Sawyer, general manager of the 11,000-member Orange County Employees Assn., said he has hopes that Popejoy will restore county employees’ morale, which has taken a beating in recent weeks because of the layoff of 152 workers.

The county announced last month that as many as 250 more layoffs are likely.

“The big job he has is to stop the bleeding and to stop the loss of faith that county employees and all the constituencies in the county and pool bankruptcy have suffered,” said Sawyer.

“I hope he does all of those things which are needed to protect employee rights and regain the confidence they need to serve the public effectively.”

Sawyer also indicated he is relieved that Sigoloff was not the choice.

Many employees realize there are painful cuts coming, said Frank Eley, a systems analyst with the Environmental Management Agency. Now,they are merely hoping they will be carried out as wisely as possible, he said.

“The people, they just want somebody who has got a decent attitude,” he said. “They want him to be basically fair to as many employees as he can, and not try to make a big name out of it.”

Times staff writer Susan Marquez Owen contributed to this report.