Bankruptcy Dashed ‘Children’s Agenda’ Dream : Profile: Steiner arrived amid praise for his role as an advocate for disadvantaged youth. Now, he hopes to go back to the work he knows best. ‘I’ve had enough,’ he says.

Before he was handpicked by Gov. Pete Wilson to fill an opening on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, William G. Steiner had earned an enviable reputation as a tireless champion for neglected children from his work as director of the Orangewood Children’s Home.

He had hoped to continue his role as an advocate for children on the Board of Supervisors, but his brief venture into politics has only tarnished his name and left Steiner wondering why he ever bothered to take the job in the first place.

Steiner said Saturday that he will not run for reelection when his term ends in December, 1998, and in all likelihood will return to the field of children’s advocacy. “No more. I’ve had enough.”

“This has been the ultimate test in my life, the ultimate test,” said Steiner, who believes he has been unfairly blamed for the financial debacle that provoked the bankruptcy, while those with more experience and financial knowledge also failed to detect the problems.

Steiner says his options are many: teaching classes on government and child abuse detection and prevention; working for children at the state level; even possibly helping to create a multimillion-dollar charitable organization in Orange County.

He said he’s going to Washington soon for a series of interviews in the children’s advocacy field, but is mum on the details.

Many say Steiner’s extensive work with children’s issues, while admirable, did little to prepare him for the challenges he faced on the board, but predict that his legacy in Orange County will center on his work with the underprivileged--not any supervisorial shortcomings he might have had.

“His background wasn’t one of financial management, so he wasn’t really in a position to challenge what was going on,” said former County Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy. “But that goes for a lot of people.”

Steiner joined the board in March, 1993, hoping to forge a “children’s agenda.” Instead, he saw bankruptcy-related cutbacks ravage services and programs designed to help society’s youngest members.

Still, the former social worker fought to retain funding for children’s programs, even as he waged an ongoing battle regarding questionable medication practices at Orangewood.

In 1978, Steiner became director of the Albert Sitton home, a shabby facility that inspired Steiner to help build Orangewood--considered by many to be a model facility--with millions he helped raise in the community.

His first steps into the political arena came with stints on the Orange City Council and school board. Those who worked with him said Steiner’s congenial demeanor hides a shrewd managerial mind that is often overlooked by others.

“Everyone says, ‘Bill is such a nice guy,’ but they’re all missing the boat,” said Reed Royalty of the Orange County Taxpayers Assn., who worked with Steiner at Orangewood. “He’s probably one of the best managers anywhere of a nonprofit enterprise. If he had had more time at the county, I’m sure he would have caught on to the stuff that was happening.”

But others say that Steiner, who had served on the board nearly two years when the bankruptcy hit, had more than enough time to follow up on his concerns about the county’s risky investment strategy that ultimately cost nearly $1.7 billion in losses.

“We see him as the vanguard for the status quo,” said Bruce Whitaker, spokesman for the Committees of Correspondence, an anti-tax group. “We wanted to see someone taking the bureaucracy head on. He hasn’t done that.”

Steiner, 58, the father of five, is turning a deaf ear to such criticism now, instead focusing on what can be done during the remainder of his term. The only good thing about the bankruptcy is that it’s caused him to reflect on his future and ponder what is important in his life, he says. Concern about his own health--his father died at 60--also played a role in the decision to not seek reelection.

“None of this has been worth it,” Steiner said. “It’s important to be happy, first and foremost. And this hasn’t been making me happy. I want to get back to doing what I love.”