THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 9, 1995 TAG: 9502070107
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Dimitrios N. Rerras , an enthusiastic adherent of Gov. George Allen's plans to redefine state government, is running for the Republican nomination for the sixth Senate seat now held by Sen. Stanley C. Walker.
Rerras preaches a conservative party line of welfare reform, lower taxes, tougher punishment for criminals and tax credits for people who send their children to private schools.
At a fund-raiser Saturday at the Greek Orthodox Church on Granby Street, Rerras and other Republicans gathered to celebrate Rerras' campaign.
In a meeting room, friends, family and fellow Republicans milled around and ate Greek dishes, including moussaka and baklava.
The Greek community, the members of the Orthodox Church and his neighborhood would be his natural political base. Rerras said he believed he could replace Walker, who has served for more than 30 years in the General Assembly.
``We thank (Walker) for serving the people of Virginia for so long, but we have concerns that he has voted in ways that are not in the best interest of Virginians,'' Rerras said.
Rerras, 37, works with Computer Dynamics in Virginia Beach as a proposal writer and has been active in the Republican Party for several years. He serves on Gov. Allen's Commission on Champion Schools, which is an educational reform group.
A lifelong resident of the city, Rerras lives in the Bromley area. He is a graduate of Granby High School and has a bachelor of science degree from the Philadelphia College of Bible. He is certified to teach English as a foreign language and holds an associate degree in electronics from Tidewater Community College.
Rerras talks in some detail about his support for giving tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools. He said such a program should first start with lower and middle-income parents.
Under Rerras's proposal, parents who earn less than $30,000 would be eligible to receive up to $3,000 in tax credits if they send their children to a private school.
``It's like the G.I. bill, the family could spend it at the school they determine,'' Rerras said. He would introduce or support legislation that would make such a plan possible.
Norfolk now pays more than $5,000 per pupil, so giving a $3,000 tax credit was quite feasible, Rerras said.
If Rerras wins the Republican nomination, he would probably run against Walker, who was elected to the House in 1963 and the Senate in 1971. A staff member for Walker said the senator was certain to run again. With decades of seniority, Walker is considered a tough opponent.
Rerras said he first became interested in the Republican Party during Ronald Reagan's terms as president.
``That's when it became apparent to me that my values lined up with the Republican Party,'' Rerras said. ``I liked Reagan's view of individual responsibility, and that big government is not the answer.''
In additional to educational measures, Rerras supports raising the personal income tax exemption from $800 to $2,400. This would eliminate 80,000, lower-income people from the tax rolls, Rerras said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Dimitrios N. Rerras
He's a lifelong Norfolk resident
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA STATE SENATE RACE CANDIDATES by CNB