THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503100226
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bill Reed
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
When does five equal 11?
A long time ago in the Land of Oz, maybe, but not in the good old USA. Not even the Great and Powerful Wiz could sell that kind of voodoo computation.
Now, however, the citizens of Virginia Beach are asked to swallow an equation that even Toto would scorn.
It's one the leadership of the Council of Civic Organizations, an umbrella group for dozens of neighborhood civic associations in Virginia Beach, has viewed as essential to healing what they deem to be a sickly city electoral system.
They said as much last Tuesday in a public hearing before the City Council. The session was a prelude to a vote scheduled this Tuesday that could seek the governor's signature on a bill that would change the city's voting system.
The bill in question would create equally populated districts and require another advisory referendum (by May 1996) on the creation of a ward system in the city.
Basically, the CCO leadership wants to divide Virginia Beach into seven boroughs of roughly equal proportions of, say, 59,000 people. Boroughs now range in population from about 1,000 in Blackwater to 144,000 in Kempsville.
Critics of the existing system say that sparsely settled boroughs should not carry as much political clout as the heavily populated ones, even though the interests and values of the residents vary greatly.
They also say voters should be limited to selecting only one resident borough candidate, plus four at-large candidates, including a mayoral contestant.
This may be the biggest drawback to the reform. It diminishes a city voter's choice from 11 to five, no matter how you figure it.
Under the current system Virginia Beach citizens can elect an at-large mayor, three at-large council members and seven council members who must live in each of the city's seven boroughs.
Not all of them at once, mind you, but it works out over the course of two elections.
It also works out so that Joe and Jane Citizen can cast a vote for each of the 11 members on the council who have the power to tinker with city property taxes, build schools and roads, and arrange police and fire protection.
Last May the CCO's reform package was placed on the ballot in a municipal election. Of the 25 percent of city voters who showed up at the polls, more than half said yes to a two-part question seeking to determine whether or not the city should (1) equalize the populations of the city boroughs and (2) let voters elect only council members who reside in their borough and four at-large members.
The referendum was placed on the ballot after a determined petition drive by CCO members from Lynnhaven Borough, who felt they'd been hornswoggled out of a council seat in a previous election by big money and special interests from outside of the borough.
Opponents of reform say the cure is worse than the so-called ailment.
They also say that the ballot question was so poorly worded that it was confusing and the resulting vote was not a true indicator of how most Beach citizens really feel about changing the city's system of electing council members.
Both sides of the argument were tossed around again Tuesday at the council hearing. Now a majority of the council reportedly favors the General Assembly's compromise.
Maybe it's time to call on the Wiz. After all, he did give the Cowardly Lion courage, the Tin Man a heart and the Scarecrow a brain. by CNB