THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150470
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
John D. Moss, a city councilman for seven of the past nine years, announced Tuesday that he was resigning a year before the end of his second term.
Moss' resignation is effective March 15. His job as a civilian employee of the Navy is being moved to Memphis, and Moss said he decided to transfer with it.
One of the most vocal members of the Beach Council, Moss has used his analytical skills repeatedly to save the city money. Sometimes he raised his peers' consciousness; sometimes he just annoyed them.
But Moss helped change the way the city compiles its annual budget, fought plans for light rail service to Norfolk, battled developers and argued for improvements to the school system.
``I think he keeps us on our toes,'' Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said. ``I think when he begins to evaluate something, even if people aren't going to vote his way, they stand in awe of his ability to analyze and build a case.''
``John is articulate, thorough, sensitive, and above all other things, listens to the will and direction of the people,'' said council member Robert K. Dean, one of Moss' two closest council allies. ``I have had nothing but admiration for John, and since he's been on council, he and I have become very, very dear friends, both politically and personally. He will be missed.''
``John was one of those people who was willing to take the really dirty issues and deal with them straight up,'' said Nancy K. Parker, Moss' other close ally. ``He is one of the most brilliant people I have ever seen on that City Council, and I'll miss him like a brother.''
Even Moss' council critics credit him with a fast mind and strong grasp of details. But several had lost patience with his aggressive style and incessant questions about topics they deem unimportant.
``I feel like he's taken too much of council and of staff's time,'' councilman John A. Baum said. ``Common sense seems to be lacking at times.''
Vice Mayor W.D. Sessons said that ``with Mr. Moss leaving, I feel that the council will be able to work more as a team.''
Moss, a manpower expert with the Navy, has rarely been part of the majority on council, seeming to prefer the underdog position.
When the city was booming, Moss fought for slower growth. Now, when many council members want the city to play a more active role in development, Moss has argued for fiscal prudence.
He knows he isn't well liked by many council members, or by people at work, where his job often involves deciding who will be laid off.
``I'm loved at home,'' he said. ``I don't expect to be loved at work.''
Moss, who turned 41 on Saturday, was elected to council in 1986 to representthe Kempsville Borough. He lost in 1990, in the aftermath of the previous year's Greekfest riots. He won an at-large seat two years later, against long-time council member and mayor Harold Heischober.
In his first term, Moss convinced the council to combine its operating and capital budgets and integrate them with the city's land-use plan. His goal, he said last week, was to make these budgets and plans work together and to give council a better idea of where public money was going.
Moss hopes one of the biggest legacies of this term will be the repeal of the city's storm-water management fee. As part of his six-month-long effort to strike the fee, Moss gave a 45-minute slide presentation last week, outlining all the problems with the fee and the reason it should be dropped.
The council seemed ready to disregard the measure at the beginning of the meeting, but Moss' argument apparently changed their minds. Tuesday, the council directed the city manager to explore new ways of funding storm water maintenance and consider dropping the fee.
The council has known for months that Moss intended to leave, but he kept his departure date secret until Tuesday. They have not begun the process of replacing him, but nearly a dozen people, including many former council members and council candidates, have expressed interest in filling out the 16 months of his term. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Moss
by CNB