Supervisor Race Draws 2 More Candidates

Fountain Valley Councilman George B. Scott and Westminster Mayor Charles V. Smith said Monday that they will run for Supervisor Roger R. Stanton’s 1st District seat next year.

Scott, 62, and Smith, 63, said they made their decision after Stanton declared last week that he would not seek reelection.

“I was going to run anyway, but now that Roger isn’t, there’s no use waiting [to announce],” Scott said. “I might as well go for it.”

Scott, who has been a council member for 21 years, and Smith, who has been on the council for nine years, join Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes in announcing their candidacies.

Both candidates said they believe they are strong candidates for the Board of Supervisors because of their years of public service and contacts within the 1st District, which includes Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster and Fountain Valley.

If elected, both said they would like to continue with the downsizing of county government.

“The bureaucracy has grown out of proportion over the years,” Smith said. “It needs to be scaled back.”

Since the bankruptcy, Smith, a retired engineer, has played an active role in the county’s recovery plans as a board member of the Orange County Transportation Agency and a member of the California League of Cities.

Scott, an insurance salesman, said he plans to start raising money for the campaign immediately and already has commitments from some potential contributors.