THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503100361
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
In a move to put an unpleasant episode behind it, the School Board passed a resolution Thursday urging state judges to immediately appoint a replacement for Charles W. Vincent.
The 8-1 vote followed Vincent's conviction on state ethics violations. Vincent, who is appealing that conviction, plans to fight a court order that he step off the board. The order was issued Feb. 22 by Circuit Judge Thomas S. Shadrick.
``We need a board member, and we're not going to wait around for him to appeal 20 times,'' said member Joseph D. Taylor II, who introduced the resolution. ``The interest of Charles Vincent isn't as important as the citizens and all the people who go to our schools.''
Only Ulysses Van Spiva voted against the resolution, giving no reason.
School Board action was not required to begin selecting a replacement. Board members said their vote was intended as a message that they want the issue resolved as soon as possible.
State circuit judges would be responsible for making an interim appointment.
Vincent was elected to the 11-member board in May. He was indicted last fall on nine counts of state ethics charges for soliciting campaign contributions from architecture and engineering firms seeking school building contracts.
A jury found him guilty on all counts in January. Shadrick, who postponed a final verdict to rule on a legal question of whether Vincent willfully broke the law, last month upheld the jury's decision.
Also Thursday, the board voted 5-4 to elect member D. Linn Felt board vice chairman. The vote was prompted by the board's decision in January to elevate then-vice chairwoman June T. Kernutt to chairwoman after chairman James R. Darden resigned. Twice last month the board deadlocked 5-5 between Felt and Tim Jackson for the vice chairmanship. Vincent's absence created a 5-4 majority in favor of Felt. by CNB