THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9412010007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
When I opened the Nov. 23 paper and read the editorial that insinuated improper behavior by Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, who is my wife, I was shocked at the unethical assault on a person who has dedicated her career to honest and open government.
Earlier in the week, I received a call from my wife's secretary. She informed me that the Virginia Beach Public Information Office had received an inquiry from Beth Barber, the editor of the editorial page of the Beacon, community news section for Virginia Beach, as to the funding source for the mayor's trip to China.
Apparently the PIO had failed to receive or read the memo sent to the city manager's office, of which it is a part, which clearly delineated both the purposes of the trip and its sponsorship.
I immediately placed a call to Ms. Barber and answered all of her questions about the trip. When our conversation ended, I called the city attorney's office and asked that a copy of the opinion be faxed to Ms. Barber.
Never was any attempt made to hide the facts of the trip. Members of council were sent letters notifying them of the trip and its purpose. A press release was issued, resulting in an article in the Beacon. There were no questions by the press at that time.
Why is it when the mayor of Norfolk goes to Russia, it is all kudos? When the mayor of Virginia Beach makes a trip for the same purpose, your publication looks for wrongdoing, and, failing to find any, the writer fabricates a piece so poorly constructed that it wouldn't pass muster in a high-school English class. Knowing this, the senior editor employed the old black-box ploy and a distorted headline to plant an unwarranted seed of doubt in the mind of the community.
Mayor Oberndorf surely deserves an apology.
ROGER L. OBERNDORF
Virginia Beach, Nov. 24, 1994 by CNB