The Powers That Be Vs. the Power That Was

Was it really just 2 1/2 years ago that William Popejoy suggested that the county grand jury investigate Supervisor Roger Stanton? And that Supervisor Jim Silva was Stanton’s puppet? And that, when asked whether Board Chairman Gaddi Vasquez was a good leader, replied, “He’s a good speaker.”

Oh, that Popejoy. A silver-haired, silver-tongued favorite of reporters after he became the county’s chief executive officer, Popejoy helped restore the county’s credibility in the wake of the December 1994 bankruptcy. By mid-summer 1995, though, he was jangling the supervisors’ nerves. Where others historically had tiptoed around the supervisors because of their presumed political power, Popejoy treated them like flies at a picnic.

The five sitting supervisors--even the newly elected Silva who had no role in the pre-bankruptcy policies--had zero credibility. Into the breach stepped Popejoy, a millionaire Newport Beach businessman who agreed to become CEO without pay--a figure that contrasted nicely with the supes’ $80,000 annual salaries. All Popejoy wanted in return was near-autonomy in running the place, just as any CEO would want.

The supervisors weren’t in position to deny anyone anything. Local citizens were furious as they learned the bankruptcy’s ramifications. Some state legislators wanted to hire the equivalent of a nanny to watch the county. Nationally, critics derided the county as a rich, conservative enclave that lost its money at the financial-market gaming tables.

No one liked Orange County. Now, everyone likes Orange County again, and supervisors slowly are regaining credibility on power-struggle issues.

Which brings us back around to our Popejoy reminiscences, because his legacy is coming home to roost.

Popejoy convinced the board to change the job title from “county administrative officer” to “chief executive officer.” The change was much more than semantic, but Popejoy eventually quit out of frustration in mid-1995 when he felt he didn’t have free enough rein. Still, his successor, Jan Mittermeier, also has much broader powers than had previous county administrative officers.

If Popejoy invented the new position of CEO, Mittermeier is refining it. Where Popejoy enjoyed talking to the press, Mittermeier disdains it. But just as Popejoy didn’t want to be bothered with discussing every little thing he did with the board, neither, apparently, does Mittermeier.

You might call her the strong, extremely silent type.

That’s a formula for board serenity as long as all votes are 5 to 0. However, this board is fixed at 3 to 2 on the biggest issue of the day--building an airport at the El Toro Marine base--and, just as during Popejoy’s heyday, the supervisors on the short end of the vote are questioning how much authority a county CEO should have.

This is not a polite 3-2 split. The airport stakes are immense, and given that Mittermeier is the former manager of John Wayne Airport, the two-vote minority has reason to be paranoid about feeling left out of the loop.

Last week, the simmering who’s-in-charge issue hit the fan again.

This time, airport opponents Thomas Wilson and Todd Spitzer, both representing South County constituencies, complained that Mittermeier wouldn’t provide complete information on the county’s lobbying efforts for the airport. Wilson took an earlier Spitzer comment a step further and suggested that Mittermeier controls the board, rather than the other way around. They sounded an awful lot like Silva and Stanton talking about Popejoy during the post-bankruptcy days.

Mittermeier and the other three supervisors yawned, pointing out that she’s obeying the board majority. In an amusing irony of the current episode, Silva--who thought Popejoy was out of control and once moved to oust him--chided Spitzer and Wilson for micro-managing the board by bugging Mittermeier.

Debating how much the CEO must tell each supervisor could take up a semester in a civics class. I liked Popejoy’s style because he filled a leadership vacuum, but I’m hard-pressed to complain about Wilson and Spitzer’s demand to stay informed. Times are different now, and the county is not in a bankruptcy-crisis mode. The airport debate is part of a long deliberative process, and Spitzer and Wilson are asking for information on behalf of thousands of voters.

As Popejoy said in 1995, the county doesn’t need five CEOs sitting on the board. But there’s wiggle room beneath that description and honoring board members’ requests to stay informed.

I’ll make this prediction: Spitzer and Wilson, neither of whom is anybody’s fool, will bring Mittermeier out of her shell. That’ll be a good thing, not a bad thing.

After all, what recourse has she got, sic the grand jury on them?

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by writing to him at the Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by e-mail to dana.parsons@latimes.com