THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603080279
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 264 lines
On May 7, Chesapeake voters will go to the polls to elect four members of City Council and four members of the School Board. It will be the second election in six months in light of last November's special election to fill a council seat and five School Board seats.
MAYORAL CANDIDATES
John A. Cosgrove, an electronics engineer with no political experience, has challenged Mayor William E. Ward for the city's top job, a post he has held since 1990.
Here's a look at both candidates:
Name: John Aloysius Cosgrove
Age: 41
Address: 800 block of Amy Marie Lane
Occupation: Electronics engineer for the Navy.
Political experience: None.
Name: William E. ``Bill'' Ward
Age: 62
Address: 1400 block of Waterside Drive.
Occupation: Professor of history at Norfolk State University; has served as mayor since 1990.
Political experience: Appointed mayor in 1990; re-elected in 1992; Has served on the council since 1978.
CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES
Eight men and one woman are competing for three open seats on the City Council. Among them are two incumbent councilmen, one former councilman, three candidates who have sought council seats unsuccessfully in the past, and three newcomers to City Hall politics.
Chesapeake City Council members serve four-year terms and are elected at-large.
The candidates are as follows:
Name: Robert D. ``Bob'' Bowman
Age: 45
Address: 1000 block of Pleasant Ridge Drive.
Occupation: Owner of Bob Bowman Construction Corp.
Political experience: None.
Name: Dalton S. Edge
Age: 47
Address: 3100 block of Sherwood Drive
Occupation: Farmer
Political experience: Appointed to the council in April 1995 to fill the seat vacated by former Vice Mayor Arthur L. Dwyer; lost that seat in November special election to Councilman Parker.
Name: Edward L. Hall Jr.
Age: 53
Address: 400 block of Granada Drive
Occupation: Insurance manager for Ingersoll-Dresser Pump Co.
Political experience: First time running for political office; elected vice president of the Chesapeake Growth Commission in 1993.
Name: Robert T. Nance Jr.
Age: 41
Address: 500 block of New Zealand Reach
Occupation: Owner of Nance Clearing & Grading Co., a landscaping firm.
Political experience: Vice mayor of Chesapeake; has served on the council since 1992.
Name: Dwight M. Parker
Age: 46
Address: 200 block of Haverford Drive.
Occupation: Teacher at Deep Creek High School.
Political experience: Won his current seat on the council in last November's special election.
Name: William H. ``Bill'' Pierce
Age: 61
Address: 1700 block of Creef Lane
Occupation: Retired management analyst for the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Air Force.
Political experience: Unsuccessfully ran for the council in last November's special election.
Name: Elizabeth P. Thornton
Age: 57
Address: 700 block of Wood Duck Lane
Occupation: Program coordinator for the international relations doctoral program at Old Dominion University.
Political experience: Unsuccessfully ran for the council in 1990.
Name: James E. Whitener
Age: 47
Address: 1500 block of Birch Leaf Road
Occupation: Special agent with the U.S. Naval Investigative Service.
Political experience: Unsuccessfully ran for the council in 1994.
Name: Antoine Whitted
Age: 26
Address: 2800 block of Breeze Avenue.
Occupation: Salesman at Kline Toyota in Chesapeake.
Political experience: None. SCHOOL BOARD
A homemaker, a minister, an attorney, a former police officer, a grandparent, these are some of the people who want to be the next School Board members.
Nine candidates have filed to run for four School Board slots which will be up for grabs when voters go to the polls on May 7. All School Board members are elected at-large.
The pool is diverse, among them one incumbent, one former School Board member and two who ran last year unsuccessfully.
Here's a look at the candidates:
Name: Deborah G. Dupree
Age: 40
Address: 1100 block of Taft Road, Hickory area.
Occupation: Virginia Beach school teacher
Political experience: None
Children: Cory, 11, Sarah, 8.
Why are you running? ``I want the best total education for our children and that involves School Board decisions based from a classroom perspective.''
What can you contribute? ``I believe that my 18 years experience as a classroom teacher and firsthand knowledge of what happens in the classroom would be invaluable to the School Board.''
Name: Patrick ``P.J.'' Fenwick
Age: 37
Address: 600 block of Sparrow Road, Seminole Park
Occupation: Assistant to the area manager of Jarman Shoes store in Military Circle mall in Norfolk.
Political experience: None
Children: Michelle, 6, Kathleen Delores, 2, Rebecca Rose, 6 weeks old.
Why are you running? ``My oldest daughter is in private school. . . after having another baby, I realized I couldn't afford to send all of my children to private schools. I want what's best for my daughters, and I will have to switch my children to public schools but until some changes are made, it wouldn't be the best decision.''
What can you contribute? ``I have some definite ideas on improving school discipline. . .make the schools more skills-oriented and put more emphasis on writing skills.''
Name: Allen H. Goode Jr.
Age: 67
Address: 900 Costa Ave.
Occupation: retired Army colonel
Political experience: Yes, served on the School Board from 1992-1994.
(Wasn't available for additional information)
Name: Thomas L. Mercer Sr.
Age: 40
Address: 2600 Smithson Drive, Hickory area
Occupation: Pastor of Hickory United Methodist Church
Political experience: None
Children: Tommy, 12, Christa, 10, Luke, 8.
Why are you running? ``I care deeply about the future of the youth of our city. I believe in the value of each young person and the potential of education to improve their lives.''
What can you contribute? ``I want to help improve school safety, continue to uphold the rigorous educational standards and maintaining and increasing the benefits for staff and teachers.''
Name: Harry A. Murphy
Age: 38
Address: 400 of block Briarwood Court, Briarwood
Occupation: Owner of A. Murphy Fence Co.
Political experience: None.
Children: Laura, 10, Jennifer 6.
Why are you running? ``I ran in December, and I have received so much support from people who said, `I hope you run again.' I think I ran a good campaign the first time, and I had good support with family, neighbors, but not the large support you need to get the word out over the city. I think I have that.''
What can you contribute? ``I think most people would agree we have a pretty good system, we want to keep it on that trend. I've listened to parents who feel alienated from the schools. I have ideas on how to develop communication between the schools and parents.''
Name: James G. Thomson
Age: 43
Address: 5100 block of Lake Shore Drive, Willow Lakes
Occupation: book seller at Waldenbooks store at Military Circle mall in Norfolk
Political experience: None
Children: Adult daughter, son and stepson.
Why are you running? ``Whether we have children in the system or not, we will have neighbors, friends who are in the system and as neighbors and friends. Their fates are important to us.''
What contributions can you make? ``First of all, I have a background in education. . . I recognize the value of education, I think I can bring my skills in improving and keeping the quality in a rapidly expanding system.''
Name: James J. Wheaton
Age: 35
Address: 400 Meridian Drive, Foxgate Quarter
Occupation: Attorney
Political experience: School Board member since 1991
Children: Mary Frances, 4; Annie, 2; Will, 3 weeks old.
Why are you running? ``I'm the father of three children, two of whom are beginning their school years. I have an obligation to them and today's students to make certain every child leaves Chesapeake's schools well-educated and prepared to meet the next century's challenges.''
What can you contribute?
``For five years, I've been a spokesman for greater financial accountability and long-term planning. My business background gives me the unique ability to carry that forward.''
Name: Patricia P. Willis
Age: 38
Address: 1000 Windswept Circle, Kemp Crossing
Occupation: Homemaker
Political experience: None
Children: David, 10; Patrick, 6; Rosemary Grace, 5.
Why are you running? ``I believe I have the education, the ability and experience to serve the children, parents and school system of Chesapeake. . . better the quality of life for the schools.''
What can you contribute? ``As a former teacher, I can empathize with the teachers as well as look at the situation from the student's and parent's perspective.''
Name: Michael J. Woods
Age: 39
Address: 1600 block of Dock Landing Road, Riverbend
Occupation: Attorney
Political experience: None
Children: Steven, 15, Karen, 14.
Why are you running? ``I grew up in Chesapeake, it's been good to me and my family. I wanted to give something back.''
What can you contribute? ``I was a policeman for 14 years and worked on my college degree. It took 12 years to get my bachelor's degree. I left the police department and spent three years working on my law degree. . . I know the importance of education and I think I can pass that along to other students and relate to them.'' MEMO: Compiled by staff writers Denise Watson and Mac Daniel ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Incumbent Mayor William E. Ward
Challenger John A. Cosgrove
Edge
Hall
Nance
Parker
Pierce
Thornton
Whitener
Dupree
Mercer
Fenwick
Murphy
Wheaton
Thomson
Willis
Woods
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL RACE CHESAPEAKE SCHOOL BOARD RACE
CANDIDATE by CNB