THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 18, 1995 TAG: 9504180280
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Several Republican members of the City Council called - then had to cancel - an emergency meeting Monday night to discuss selecting a successor to former Vice Mayor Arthur L. Dwyer.
The special session would have violated the council's rules of order because at least three council members, including Mayor William E. Ward, were not properly notified.
The cancellation came within hours of the request for the meeting by council members Robert T. Nance, John M. de Triquet, John E. Allen and W. Joe Newman. At least one television station had already broadcast notice of the meeting.
Nance said he and others decided to call off the session, not because of the council rules, but because council members John W. Butt and Alan P. Krasnoff could not attend.
``Out of respect for Krasnoff and Butt,'' Nance said, ``we decided to hold off so we can give everyone more notification.''
Nance added that if Republicans had chosen, they could have suspended the rules with a five-member majority vote.
Ward, who learned of the proposed session at 11 a.m. Monday, characterized it as ``prematurely rushing one of the most important decisions this body has had to face.''
Ward noted that the council had yet to meet to formally accept the resignation of Dwyer, who stepped down on Friday amid allegations that he misused his position when he had a personal relationship with a Chesapeake woman while actively pursuing health benefits for her husband.
``I think this is getting us off to a bad start after having just overcome a dark cloud,'' Ward said of the aborted special session attempt. ``It would have been common courtesy to inform the mayor.''
The council's rules state that the mayor or at least three members can call a special session only if they give the rest of their colleagues at least 12 hours' written notice, or, in an emergency, if all council members and the clerk either attend or sign a waiver in their absence.
Newman said he did not know why Ward was not contacted.
``In ideal circumstances,'' Newman said, ``he would have been called. . . . It's hard to sit down and call everybody. We need to make decisions and move forward on this.''
Ward agreed that the process of replacing Dwyer should be quick, but said it must also be inclusive if it is to be fair.
``I'm just asking that the process be a democratic and collegial one in which we all can participate,'' Ward said. ``We need to put partisan politics aside and think about the best interests of the city.''
On Friday, Republicans and Democrats pledged to unify to heal the public trust in the wake of Dwyer's resignation.
But the talk of unity was short-lived.
The council's two Democrats and one independent were angered Monday when Republicans, who now hold five of the eight seats, failed to consult them on the special session.
``I had no idea what was going on,'' said Butt, a Democrat. ``Why is this being rushed? I'm disappointed that the council is doing something that is going to make the city look bad again.''
Nance denied any attempt by Republicans to exclude others.
``If anyone tries to politicize this,'' Nance said, ``they're wrong.''
But politics have already surfaced in the names being circulated as potential replacements for Dwyer.
Several Republicans have pointed to Dalton Edge, who ran on the Republican-backed ticket with Dwyer and Councilman Peter P. Duda last May.
On Friday, Chesapeake Del. J. Randy Forbes, a Republican, said ``people would naturally tend to see Edge as a likely candidate'' because Edge was the runner-up in Chesapeake's last race for six four-year council seats.
``I think he is level-headed,'' Duda said of Edge. ``He is mature enough to know that life is difficult. He's a farmer, and we don't have a farmer on the council now.''
Democrats, however, may push for Dwight Parker, a former party leader who ran against Dwyer in May for a special two-year council seat and lost by just 47 votes.
Ward said that using the Republican logic, Parker should be the runner-up, since he was running for Dwyer's seat, not Edge, who campaigned for a four-year term.
Ward also noted that appointing Edge would add to Great Bridge's disproportional representation on the council.
Six of the eight council members already live in the greater Great Bridge area, Ward said. Parker lives in the Indian River area.
Whoever fills Dwyer's seat will serve only until Nov. 11, when the city will hold a special election for a replacement. The winner will serve until May 1996, when Dwyer's term would have expired.
Council members will decide who will be vice mayor once they appoint a replacement for Dwyer. ILLUSTRATION: A FALSE START IN CHESAPEAKE
[Color Photo]
The council has yet to accept the resignation of former Vice Mayor
Arthur Dwyer.
KEYWORDS: ARTHUR DWYER CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION by CNB