The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995                 TAG: 9504280033
SECTION: COMMENTARY               PAGE: J4   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   33 lines

APPLAUDS CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL

Now that the noise has abated and the press has something else to pick on, we should all say a big thank you for the way the Chesapeake City Council has handled recent events.

It is always good to see a rainbow, but you can see it only from a distance. We can now see that in less than two weeks from the time all the bad news hit about the former vice mayor, our council made some very tough decisions.

Council has moved to stop a questionable shopping center that was in the wrong place; turned down an oil-change shop in a neighborhood; elected (by unanimous vote) a new member of council who was the next-top vote getter; selected a black, professional educator with a doctorate degree for the School Board; elected a new vice mayor and a new secretary; responded to the concerns of South Norfolk over an adult-care home by turning it down; and showed courage and wisdom in dealing with the Jordan Bridge.

That's not too bad in just a few days.

Our council was elected to make decisions and that is what it is doing. May it keep up the very good work.

HAROLD C. THOMPSON

Chesapeake, April 21, 1995 by CNB