People : Spotlight on achievers : COUNTYWIDE : Pair Get Resolution for Their Resolve

Bruce Sumner and Steve Franks spent much of the past year in a seemingly endless series of meetings where the finer points of government codes and procedures were examined in minute detail by 33 people with widely different views.

As chairman and secretary, respectively, of the Orange County Charter Commission, Sumner and Franks kept the sessions on track, and earlier this month the panel presented a draft of a county charter designed to reform government and make it more responsive to citizens.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to place the proposed charter on the March, 1996, ballot for voters to ratify or reject.

Although neither received monetary compensation, Sumner and Franks were honored by the Board of Supervisors last week with special resolutions.

Sumner, a retired Orange County Superior Court judge, was cited for moderating the panel of nearly three dozen activists, business representatives and elected officials during long, often heated debates.

Franks, chief of staff for Supervisor Jim Silva, was recognized for keeping minutes of the meetings, providing members with reports and information, and serving as public liaison.

In a recent interview, Sumner said he is happy with the proposed charter, which would set term limits for supervisors and convert some elected county posts such as treasurer into appointed positions.

“This is a real improvement over what we have now,” Sumner said. “I’m pleased with it.”