Standing by Her Code, or Her Coad?

Stand by your man

Give him two arms to cling to

And something warm to come to

When nights are cold and lonely.

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We pause today to remember the late, great Tammy Wynette, the legendary country music star whose presence was never so felt at the Orange County Board of Supervisors as it was Tuesday.

There, before a hushed (or possibly uninterested) group of supervisors, reporters and county bureaucrats, outgoing Chairwoman Cynthia Coad stopped just short of belting out Wynette’s 1968 classic, “Stand by Your Man,” as she let newly departed supervisor Todd Spitzer have it right between the eyes.

Spitzer, of course, wasn’t there. He was supposed to be, but the newly elected state assemblyman took early retirement from the board Nov. 19 because, he said, preparations for his imminent Capitol duty were taking all his time.

Until then, everyone assumed he’d stay until Tuesday, when he was sworn in for the Assembly.

It just so happened that Spitzer’s premature withdrawal from the board left both Coads (Cynthia and her husband, Tom) angry and frustrated. That’s because Tom Coad had planned to run in a special election next month to fill Spitzer’s term but suddenly found himself ineligible on a residency technicality. Had Spitzer stayed on until Tuesday, Tom Coad could have run.

Well, let’s just say that didn’t set well with the First Lady of the County (Coad), not to be confused with the First Lady of Country Music (Wynette).

As chairwoman, Coad was supposed to certify the date for the special election.

But that’s not how Tammy, who died in 1998, would have handled things.

Nor was it how Cynthia did.

Instead of carrying out her appointed task (what oath of office?), Coad refused to vote. Here’s what, in part, she said instead:

“Because of the early resignation, it made the voter registration postmark of Tom Coad a day late. I believe the early resignation was a calculated trick to thwart Tom Coad’s candidacy.”

She went on to say that Measure V, a March ballot proposition, supported by Spitzer, decreeing that vacancies on the board will be filled by election, was supposed to guarantee the will of the people in the event of an unexpired supervisorial term but that “it appears those involved don’t want the will of the people, they just want the will of the people for the person they select.”

Final verse:

“I will abstain on this item, because the will of the people and democracy are not served by the apparent calculated trick to thwart an individual’s previously announced and publicized plan to run .... I trust that my abstention will serve to point out how hypocritical some people and politicians can be; for example, resorting to trickery to consummate musical chairs with elected seats.... “

Not as lyrical as Tammy, but we get the point. Her colleagues passed the measure without her.

Notwithstanding that the will of the people hasn’t been thwarted, only Tom Coad’s, I applaud Cynthia’s righteous anger. Whether she’d have done the same thing if the thwarted candidate hadn’t been her man for the last 48 years, we’ll never know.

Then again, Tammy’s hit wasn’t titled “Stand by Everybody’s Man.”

I wish I’d been there Tuesday to see Cynthia’s performance.

Everybody now, join in!

“Stand by your man

And show the world you love him

Keep givin’ all the love you can

Stand by your man.”

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. 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.