THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503250085
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY: 3 NEW LEADERS
LENGTH: Long : 140 lines
Q. Do you have any specific goals for the next 15 months while in office?
A. I suppose my primary goal is to get up to speed, find out what the council has been really doing for the three years since I've been off. I'm sure that regardless of how well I've tried to keep up there are things I don't know. One, finding out where council really is on many of our issues and problems.
Q. Will you run for re-election again next year?
A. I really don't know. I know a lot of people say ``I don't know,'' but I honestly don't know. You know I was 75 on Monday.
Q. What do you see as the role of the council, of city government?
A. Government's role is to have a plan for things and then to get the private sector interested in projects, and then work in harmony and in conjunction as partnerships. . . . I see government's role to encourage private industry to get involved, to create, build, develop further infrastructure, and I think we have. In Virginia Beach, I think we've moved very well in that direction.
(It's) not easily definable, but the basic function of a government is to provide good schools, good police, personal safety, fire protection, all city services at a minimum of cost. I know it's an oversimplification, but all we are as a governing body is the fulcrum between the citizens, here (he said, raising his right hand), who are paying for the services we have to deliver here, (he said, raising his left hand), and we're the ones who have to balance how much the citizens can afford to deliver what kind of services.
Q. How do you think you will fit into that system; what do you see as your role on council?
A. The council mix couldn't be better, and when I say mix I'm talking from the standpoint of people with varied backgrounds, people with different occupations, that bring to the table different expertise. How I contribute to that is. . . with my education as an automobile man. You do know numbers, you do understand budgets and things of that nature. I think I know a good deal when I see it. . . . Hopefully, I can replace the wisdom and energy of a John Moss. . . .
While there is and always will be and always should be diversity (on the council), it is my observation that the council seems to be getting along very well and I hope I fit into that.
Q. What do you think the public wants from its city government?
A. I think the public wants a few more roads in the right places. I think they would like to see growth continue to slow down. I think they would like to see the elimination of these temporary buildings (at the schools). . . . It seems to me that people that are elderly are very concerned about their mobility and their safety, crime. I think they would like to see some methodology about being able to walk the streets safely one more time - that's a major issue. . . . I never was afraid in my entire life, of being afraid to go anywhere. Not that I'm a macho guy but I've always been able to run fast. I can't run fast anymore. . . . So, people want safety. Now, how you deliver that I don't know. MEMO: Staff writer Karen Weintraub conducted this interview.
BIO: CITY COUNCILMAN HAROLD HEISCHOBER
Harold Heischober, a 12-year veteran of the City Council, was
reappointed March 17 to fill the unexpired term of John D. Moss.
Heischober, who served as mayor from 1984 to 1986, was born in
Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Virginia Beach in 1942 to serve at Fort
Story while in the Army. Before World War II, he was a minor league
baseball player in the Brooklyn Dodgers' farm system.
He began selling cars after his discharge from the Army, and is now
chairman of Mega Mazda on Holland Road. His two sons, daughter and
son-in-law work at the dealership with Heischober, who is now mostly
retired.
In a two-hour conversation last week, Heischober said he will focus
most of his efforts on helping the City Council accomplish its current
goals. He answered some specific questions and, during the course of the
conversation, also said he supports the amphitheater, is leaning toward
the agricultural reserve program, wants to increase tourism and restrict
residential development.
The City Council appointed Heischober by a vote of 9-1, choosing him
from a field of seven candidates nominated by council members. His term
will expire next year.
- Karen Weintraub
WHERE HE STANDS
TOURISM: ``I believe we ought to be extremely aggressive in the area
of tourism. We now have what I think is a beautiful oceanfront. We spent
a lot of money and a lot of work. Now, we've got to bring in more people
for a longer period of time and the way you do that is you offer them
opportunities to do things. . . . Expanding tourism to its maximum,
that's not a new objective and I can't claim any ownership of that, but
I join that.''
AGRICULTURAL RESERVE PROGRAM: ``I'm trying to get up to speed on the
ARP. . . . As I understand it, there are still a lot of outstanding
questions, but I'm basically in favor of what they're trying to do. I
want to find out more about that, where it's going. . . ''
ENVIRONMENT: ``When I moved here in 1942, you could reach in (to
Lynnhaven Bay) and pull out a crab. . . . I really learned about the
problems with the environment when I was on council. I never knew that
the Chesapeake Bay was in trouble or the Lynnhaven River, or the need
for various pieces of legislation. I think everybody's an
environmentalist to the extent that they want things to be clean and
pretty. The suburban dream is a home with a beautiful lawn and flowers.
. . . I realize there are certain people on council who probably have
been environmentalists a lot longer than me and who have a deeper
knowledge. I was born and raised in the city and I don't know if I ever
heard the word. I never saw any effort where I grew up in that
direction. It's not ingrained in me. However, I've been here long enough
now, that I guess, I'm there.''
MASS TRANSIT: ``I have been a supporter of mass transportation. I
think light rail should be done. We had a very close vote on it years
ago, I think it was 6-5. I think if the opportunity's still there with
state and federal help, that it's something we should look at again.
Those folks who feel that, don't do it because it doesn't pay for
itself, well, neither do roads.''
TOLL ROAD: ``The toll road never should have been a toll road. I know
the whole history of that. It's ridiculous that the interstate goes to
Newtown Road and stops. But if you're going to have a beltway, for
crying out loud, bring the largest city in Virginia into the loop.''
LAKE GASTON: ``Fifty years from now or more, the people that will
look back on this effort will say this was right.''
ELECTED SCHOOL BOARDS: ``Maybe, just maybe, if School Board members
are elected and have the responsibility of educating our children, they
should be accountable for the funding. And once they are subjected to
the vote of the public, they may be a little more careful than just
passing along needs to us; not that they're passing along needs that
aren't justified, I don't know about that. . . . There are those out
there that think this totally elected body ought to be accountable. Of
course, there are others out there that are afraid that if they have
taxing authority, they're going to go wild - they're not going to go
wild no more than the council's going to go wild if they hope to hold
elected office.''
ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
Harold Heischober, City Council member
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD PROFILE INTERVIEW BIOGRAPHY
by CNB