Doris Allen

* With great sadness I read of the death of former state Assemblywoman Doris Allen. I first met Doris when she ran against my friend and boss, state Assemblyman Chet Wray. After three attempts, she defeated Chet, and became a member of the Assembly.

I often traveled to Sacramento to meet with legislators for my labor union. Doris was always gracious to me and members of my group, even though we had opposed her. We found her a real breath of fresh air, compared to the cavemen on the Republican side.

On one such visit, I remember talking with her alone in the hall after our meeting. She asked me how I felt about her seeking the position of speaker, and I encouraged her.

A few weeks later, she became speaker, and life was never the same for her. The wrath of the right-wing came down on her, and ultimately she was recalled. I still believe that she could have been a competent, fair and evenhanded speaker, and feel badly for the pain that election and the recall caused her.

Doris Allen was a moderate politician, something Orange County needs and doesn’t see very often. She was never accepted within the ranks of her own party because of those traits. What a great shame, and what a loss.

JOHN POPE

Former chair, 1981-82

Orange County Democratic Party

Cypress