ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Popejoy’s Performance Is Topic of Emergency Board Session : Leadership: Only Supervisor Silva has called for CEO’s ouster, but the rest are chafing at his refusal to yield to them. He says he’ll go voluntarily if ‘clamor’ gets louder.

Setting the stage for a showdown with Orange County’s strong-willed chief executive officer, William J. Popejoy, the Board of Supervisors called an emergency closed-door meeting today to discuss the job performance of the maverick executive.

“I think it’s time to bring in a full-time chief operating officer who will follow the directives of the board,” said Supervisor Jim Silva, the only board member who has called publicly for Popejoy’s ouster. “As elected officials, we cannot abdicate our responsibility.”

But Popejoy, accused by some critics of trying to “hijack” county government, said he might go willingly.

“If there is a growing clamor of folks--you know, legitimate people--who say, ‘Bill took a shot and he didn’t get it; let’s get a fresh face in there,’ I’ll leave,” Popejoy said. “If I became convinced that my staying here is not a plus, it’s a minus, then I would get out.”

The supervisors effectively surrendered power to the millionaire businessman in the wake of the bankruptcy. But since then, the board has complained that Popejoy, who volunteered to work for free, has kept them in the dark about major developments and disregarded direct orders.

Even as board members insisted he come up with an alternative solution, for example, Popejoy nonetheless made a half-cent sales tax increase the cornerstone of his bankruptcy recovery plan. Popejoy never proposed a Plan B, and the tax measure failed miserably at the polls Tuesday.

In his defense, Popejoy’s supporters say, the executive has angered his bosses on the board because he refuses to indulge their political whims. They point to Popejoy’s accomplishments throughout the crisis--such as slashing the budget--that would have been unthinkable in the past.

But Popejoy upset even his most ardent board supporters recently when he asked the Orange County Grand Jury to consider removing Supervisor Roger R. Stanton from office for willful misconduct, because Stanton had publicly mentioned a possible settlement figure for the county’s legal claims against Merrill Lynch & Co.

The county blames the giant Wall Street brokerage for $1.7 billion in losses because the firm sold former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron inherently risky securities that were inappropriate for a public investment pool. When Popejoy attacked Stanton for mentioning a possible $500-million settlement figure, many saw it as a political maneuver aimed at punishing Stanton for opposing the tax.

Popejoy still has support in high places, however.

In the days before the election, Gov. Pete Wilson’s aides quietly lobbied some supervisors to continue backing Popejoy. On Wednesday, Wilson aides reaffirmed that support and stressed that the county needs continuity and stability at this time, said sources who insisted on anonymity.

According to Popejoy’s contract, which runs until November, four of the five supervisors must agree before Popejoy can be removed, and it appears Popejoy still has sufficient votes to avoid getting fired.

“It was powerfully communicated to us that there should not be a knee-jerk reaction by the board,” Supervisor William G. Steiner said of his meeting with Wilson aides.

Still, several supervisors said Wednesday that they intend to flex some muscle and show who’s boss.

“You will see the board reassert its role as the clear policy-makers of this county,” promised board Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez. “I think it’s up to the board to redefine a number of things.”

Paul S. Nussbaum, Popejoy’s chief adviser, said that if the supervisors change Popejoy’s job description, the county chief executive would likely quit.

“If the duties and authorities of that position were changed to a chief operating officer, I do not believe that Bill would serve in that position,” Nussbaum said.

Times staff writers Michael G. Wagner and Jodi Wilgoren contributed to this story.