Ueberroth Sees Himself as a Problem-Solver

August 16, 2003
THE RECALL CAMPAIGN
Ueberroth Sees Himself as a Problem-Solver

The businessman, who ran the L.A. Olympics and pro baseball, says he will soon offer details on how to repair the state's ailing finances.

By Scott Martelle, Times Staff Writer

The boyish good looks that graced the cover of Time magazine in 1985 have settled into late middle age, the dark blond hair gone silvery gray and the skin a little loose around the neck. But Peter V. Ueberroth's eyes remain sharp and confident and his appetite for troubleshooting is still keen.

"I'm not throwing stones at the Democrats. I'm not throwing stones at the Republicans. I'm throwing stones at the process, which has gotten out of hand and it's got to be fixed," said Ueberroth, 65.

"If there's somebody at this given moment in history who has the skills to do that, it's me."

This Laguna Beach Republican and former sports czar said in an interview that what sets him apart from the other 134 candidates on the Oct. 7 recall ballot is that he has done it before: brought together squabbling factions and made them sort out their problems. And he's not running to stake out a political future, he says: Should Gov. Gray Davis lose the recall vote and Ueberroth succeed him, he plans only to finish out the term, and without pay.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ueberroth16aug16000425,1,965779.story?coll=la-headlines-california-manual

Hopefully this winds up in a sound defeat for the Republicans.