Spitzer Mends Fences, Softens His Criticism After Voting Setbacks

In the world of political gambles, Supervisor Todd Spitzer raised the stakes on election night hoping for a full house. What he ended up with, though, was a losing hand.

This month’s election held the potential of recreating Spitzer from a voice of dissent on the five-member Board of Supervisors to a leader of a majority aligned with him on key issues shaping county government into the next century.

But maverick candidates Dave Sullivan in the 2nd District and Lou Lopez in the 4th District lost their respective bids for office, leaving Spitzer on the short end of the 3-2 votes on major growth issues he opposes.

Those issues include the plan to turn the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into an international airport, as well as proposals to expand the James A. Musick Branch Jail near Irvine and construct a new South County courthouse complex in Laguna Niguel.

Some observers expect Spitzer to remain as a thorn in the side of expansion plans and a vocal critic of the county’s executive officer, Jan Mittermeier.

“Spitzer remains the biggest bull in the china shop,” said Mark Petracca, a UC Irvine political science professor. “But I wouldn’t expect to see a kindler, gentler Todd.”

However, the first-term supervisor, always keeping an eye on his political future, says Petracca is wrong. “I have been speaking my conscience and I hope people respect that,” he said, “but now it’s time to work within the system. I’ve learned that trench warfare is not a style that moves this county forward.”

It was an astonishing admission for Spitzer, a former county prosecutor who carved his reputation from exactly the kind of hand-to-hand combat he now claims to eschew.

What that means for his most vocal issue--opposition to an El Toro airport--is unclear. He said he remains opposed to the county’s plan but can’t do much to sway an entrenched board majority favoring it. He can only raise questions to ensure that the planning process is fair and open.

He also said his long feud with Mittermeier is over. They recently met, he said, in an effort to reestablish a working relationship.

“We’ve buried the hatchet,” Spitzer said. “There’s a governance structure in place and I’m going to work within that structure.”

The election put Mittermeier “very much in control of things,” Clerk-Recorder Gary Granville said.

“There may be grumbling about her style, but anyone within government can see the effectiveness of her work. Contrarians, after awhile, begin to sound like an echo in your ear.”

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Spitzer never has been the deferential type. Elected in 1996, he angered old-guard government bureaucrats by publicly challenging them at board meetings. He accused staffers of hiding information, and his prosecutorial style became overbearing.

His political ambition spilled over to the November election.

He privately withdrew his endorsement of incumbent Supervisor Jim Silva, but he publicly slammed his colleague’s honesty and integrity for backing off a pledge to whittle Mittermeier’s power. The sizzling remark was repeated in a mailer sent by Sullivan, who was trying to unseat Silva.

Spitzer insisted the mailer was done without his knowledge. But no one in Silva’s office believed him, particularly since Spitzer’s 1996 political consultant, Harvey Englander, had produced the mailer for Sullivan.

Since the election, Spitzer has sent emissaries to Silva’s next-door office hoping to thaw the resulting chill.

County employees and department heads may have had more than a casual interest in Spitzer’s attempt to gain allies on the board. They have been suspicious of his reluctance to join the “county family,” chafing at things like his absence from the recent United Way drive and his glaringly tiny signature on a resolution signed by all five supervisors praising Mittermeier for receiving a recent award.

“He comes across, especially now, as a paper tiger with most of the managers,” said one official, who asked not to be identified for fear of angering Spitzer, whose vote may be needed on the county budget. “It’s easy to say no, but the challenge is making something happen.”

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From Spitzer’s perspective, he has accomplished a great deal in his two years on the board, principally introducing the concept of accountability into a government structure more comfortable with pointing fingers. He didn’t make friends by demanding that staffers justify their recommendations, but that’s what voters demanded, he said.

“I’ve observed that we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress in most areas, post-bankruptcy,” Spitzer said. “Once that’s accomplished, I have an obligation to quit pounding the table about it. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue to raise questions about things.”