THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 18, 1995 TAG: 9503180248
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The City Council chose longtime council member Harold Heischober to fill out the unexpired term of at-large council member John D. Moss, who resigned this week to move out of state.
Council members haggled for three hours before choosing Heischober from a pool of seven candidates.
Other candidates included another former council member, Reba McClanan; a former planning commissioner, Judith Dockery; and four relative newcomers: Nony Abrajano, a Filipino civic leader; William J. Cashman, a transportation planner; Delceno Miles, an African-American businesswoman; and Jody M. Wagner, a lawyer and youth activist.
Heischober, owner of the Mega Mazda car dealership on Holland Road, lost his council seat to Moss in 1992. He received the support of nine of the remaining 10 council members. Council member Nancy K. Parker was the only member voting no.
All the candidates were allowed to make five-minute presentations and then were interviewed for 25 minutes each on Friday afternoon before the council began its deliberations.
Later in the evening, Heischober said he was surprised at his selection because of the quality of the other candidates.
``I've been in competition all my life, and my philosophy is to go in scared,'' said Heischober, who also served a term as Virginia Beach mayor. ``I'm proud for the council to have selected me, and I'll give it my best shot.''
Heischober said he does not have any agenda or pet projects for his next 15 months on the council, although he favors the proposed amphitheater and is generally supportive of a plan to preserve agricultural land in the southern part of the city.
He said he might consider another run for council next spring, when Moss' four-year term expires.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL by CNB