Stanton : Council Member Hayes, Wife Resign Their Posts

City Councilman Jim Hayes has resigned his seat and moved to Laguna Niguel, and his wife, Joan, will step down as a member of the Savanna School District board, despite having her name on Tuesday’s election ballot.

Hayes, 33, moved to Stanton in 1978 and won a seat on the council in 1982.

He and his wife moved because they had “outgrown the condo life style,” Hayes said, adding that they had decided to purchase a new house and could not find one in Stanton. He pointed out that he has seen more than 1,000 condominiums approved while serving on the council.

His wife filed to run for reelection to the school board because they had not yet decided to move and did not expect their town house to sell as quickly as it did, he said.

“I think it’s going to be a really big loss to the City of Stanton,” Mayor Jean Siriani said. “Jim is a very hard-working, care-about-the-community type of person.”

Siriani said that the council will formally accept the resignation next Tuesday and that a decision on a replacement must be made within 30 days or else a special election must be held. Hayes, who heads the county’s Community Services Agency, said his move southward will not mean a departure from politics. “Government and politics (are) my life,” hesaid, adding that he will continue to be active in community affairs but does not yet have his eye on any elected position.

“I want to say that we liked living in Stanton a lot,” he said. “It’s a great, neighborly type of city.”